Please Don't Leave Me
by KaylaMaeve20209
Summary: After years of being abused at home, Maya finally decides to run away. Shortly after she makes that drastic choice, she is kidnapped by her mother's boyfriend. 3 months go by before she is rescued and taken in by the Matthews family, but they find her to be more fragile and vulnerable than ever. When argument breaks out, how can Riley convince Maya not to leave her again?
1. Bedroom Walls

** AN: Hey guys! I've watched the pilot of GMW and was very interested with Maya's home situation, so I've decided to write a fanfic about what I think her life is really like. At first, I was going to make it a one shot, but now I think that I'm going to make it a longer story with more tension between the characters, more serious topics (child abuse, running away, kidnapping, self harm, etc.) and more depth to the personalities of the characters than we would see in the show. But overall, I love the friendship between Maya and Riley and how the Matthews are always looking out for Maya. Without further ado, here's "Please Don't Leave Me".**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Girl Meets World, Mean Girls, High School Musical or Starbucks**

"Maya, sweetheart, it's morning," said Katy, putting forth her best efforts an to wake up her sleeping daughter, which would most definitely be very difficult. There was no doubt about it that Maya deep sleeper and if you even tried to awaken her, the odds that she would cooperate with you would be awfully low.

The exhausted Maya yawned, groggily turning away her mother and curling up into a ball underneath her sheets. All she wanted to do was return her sweet dreams about Brett Hale, the mega-hot new kid from Staten Island.

"Oh, Brett..." Maya whispered as she pulled her thin blanket over her head, blocking out the sound of her mother's voice.

The previous evening, Maya had stayed awake until 2:30 in the morning waiting for Katy to come home from working not a double, but that night a triple shift at the diner. Personally, Maya would have rather fallen asleep, but she decided to watch a couple episodes of Pretty Little Liars, knowing that she would get screamed at by her mother if she didn't stay up to watch the scrawny and filthy cat that Katy loved and pampered more than her own daughter.

"Maya," snapped Katy, her soothing and motherly voice turning into an angry barking. She was clearly getting aggravated with her daughter's disobedience. As much as she tried to, she could no longer keep her short temper under control. "Don't make me say it again- GET UP, YOU RETARDED BITCH!"

The twelve year old shot up like a rocket after hearing those cruel words, although they seemed familiar to her ears. It really wasn't anything new to her; Katy wasn't exactly the most understanding and mellow type of mother. If she didn't get her own way, then Maya would pay the price.

"I'm up, I'm up," Maya repeated meekly, slightly wincing back and covering her face sheepishly. "P-please d-don't hurt me."

Katy sighed heavily, placing her hands on her hips intimidatingly. "Well, you're lucky that I'm being nice today, buddy," she scowled. "And I've never used '_retarded_' and '_bitch_' together in a sentence, now have I? It'll do nicely for our special wall!"

Maya bit her lip in order to force back tears as her mother grabbed a sharpie from the cupboard and began to write '_retarded bitch_' on her bedroom wall as an addition to the 'Wall of Shame' that made up all of the girl's verbal punishments.

That was definitely the worst thing her mother had ever written. There was _annoying pest, pain in the ass, you're so stupid, I hate you, no one likes you, I never even wanted you, I don't care about you, you're a bitch_ and more hurtful phrases inscribed onto the walls of Maya's bedroom. Lucky her.

"There," Katy pridefully smirked as she put the cap back on the sharpie, turning. "Next time, I'll start working on the ceiling! We're running out of room on the wall, hon."

Maya gulped, knowing better not to argue with her mother. It wasn't Maya's fault that she was abused at home, and her mother never wanted to treat her child the way she did. It was Maya's father's fault.

Katy met Steve in their junior year of high school and in an instant, the two fell madly in love. Steve promised that no matter what, he would always love be there for Katy, who beamed at the thought of being with her boyfriend forever. She swore that they would get married someday and raise kids together, but the part about having children came up a bit too soon.

In the midst of their senior year, Katy declared that she was pregnant with Steve's daughter, which kind of rocked the boat of their romance. Steve had his entire future planned out; attending Notre Dame and becoming a professional football player; nothing, even Katy, would get in his way.

After being left alone by Steve, Katy dropped out of high school before graduation and got a job at The Red Flame Diner and nine months later, she had Maya. Even after twelve years, Katy's anger at Steve for leaving her never faded away, so she took it out on his daughter.

"So, did you do your homework?" Maya froze. She forgot to do her homework the night before for two reasons. A: because Katy wasn't home to help her and she didn't understand it (not that she'd help her if she was home) and b: again, because Katy wasn't home and Maya was responsible for doing all of the chores.

She nervously bit her lip. Katy was not happy after the whole homework rebellion idea. She pinned Maya down to the ground and punched her in the face five times and kicked her in the ribs ten times, enough for the girl to go unconscious. She was left with scars on her face and a black eye, which she was able to cover with enough makeup. Even though no one noticed, Maya didn't want to get hurt again.

"Well, I-" she started, but her mom interrupted her.

"You're so irresponsible, Maya Noelle," complained Katy. "Do it right now."

Maya sighed. "Mom, I can't, I'm leaving in ten minutes," she said, knowing that it probably wasn't the best thing to say. "I'll do it in homeroom, I promise!"

Katy began to fume, predicting that her daughter was lying. Without saying a word, she clutched Maya's hand violently and ripped the skin on her wrist with the knife she was using to make her lunch.

Maya immediately pulled back her hand, trying to fight back tears through the pain. The last thing that she needed was for her mother to call her a crybaby and hurt her even more.

She ripped a piece of loose leaf out of her backpack and began to write her Social Studies essay on the Emancipation Proclamation to please her abusive mother. _The Emancipation Proclamation was a law passed by Abraham Lincoln stating that all slaves in the Confederacy would be freed if the Southern states didn't return to the Union. The southerners were highly opposed to this document because..._

Maya finished her brief, 6 sentence paragraph for her Social Studies paragraph, unaware that blood from her cut was dripping onto the corner of her paper.

"Okay, I'm done," she said, semi-proud of herself for actually doing her homework. _Boy, Mr. Matthews will be shocked_, she thought to herself. She didn't bother doing her math and science homework, knowing that Riley already did it for her (Mr. Matthews told Riley not to do Maya's social studies work).

"Well, you better get ready, babe," Katy said. "You better be at the Matthews in 20 minutes, so go get dressed."

_I wonder what Mrs. Matthews made for breakfast this morning_, thought Maya. She was happy that she wasn't only close with Riley, but that she was close enough to Riley's family that she was comfortable enough spending more time with them than with her own mother (which wasn't so bad). In fact, the Matthews were the family Maya never had. But she knew no one except Riley or maybe Topanga felt the same way.

"I gotta go to work, and then I'm going to visit some friends in Pennsylvania. I won't be home until Sunday night," said Katy, relieving Maya.

"Can I stay at Riley's house?" asked Maya. "Whatever," was her mother's response.

Just as she was about to leave, Katy remembered something she had to tell Maya. "Oh, honey, by the way, if anyone asks about your wrist, say your cat did it," she said. "Have a great weekend." Katy blew two kisses to her daughter before leaving her for three days.

As soon as the door closed, Maya completely broke down. Tears poured down her cheeks as she struggled to pull herself together. Her mother blew her kisses, but she probably wished they were bullets going straight towards Maya's brains. At least that's what Maya thought.

"It's okay, she's not here," she whispered to herself, wiping the tears off of her face. She had to calm herself down. It was time to get ready for school.

Maya didn't really put much effort into her appearance that day. She brushed out her naturally wavy hair, washed her face, brushed her teeth and put on her new outfit; skinny bluejeans, a yellow shirt with a cute and stylish leather jacket.

In a hurry, she shoved on her black boots, grabbed her bag and sprinted out the apartment. Maybe she would catch the subway and make it to Riley's apartment in time for breakfast...

* * *

As soon as Maya was in front of the Matthew's home, tears were swelling up in her eyes. She heard innocent giggles from Auggie, corny jokes from Cory, Riley getting frustrated with both of them and she smelt buttermilk pancakes that Topanga made for breakfast._ This is what a real family_ is, thought Maya. _Riley doesn't realize how lucky she is._

Maya finally had the courage to dry her eyes and buzz in, "Maya Hart, at your service," in a British accent. She had to act strong, brave and like she lived in a carefree world. If she gave any hint that she had an unstable and violent home life, she knew that she would get it bad from her mother.

"Come in," yelled Riley. Maya strutted in with a huge smile on her face, hiding the frown she had inside.

"Whassup, y'all," she said in a southern voice, causing Auggie to laugh.

"Hey, Maya, how are you- what happened to your eye?" asked Topanga with a concerned look on her face.

_Shoot_, Maya thought. She was in such a hurry that she forgot to cover her black eye with makeup!_ Now they'll think that there is something wrong with my life at home._

"What?" Maya asked, pretending that she didn't know what was wrong.

"Your eye!" gasped Riley. "Oh my god Maya, your face!" She ran up to her friend and examined her bruises like a doctor.

"Gee, Riles, that makes me feel good," Maya said in a mock-hurt tone.

"Maya," Cory said, folding his arms. "How did you get that black eye?" He glanced at Topanga worriedly. They both knew that Katy had some issues, and since Maya wouldn't admit what happened to her eye, they were getting suspicious.

"Oh, that?" laughed Maya nervously. Everyone was staring at her, waiting for the truth. But they couldn't know the truth, and she had to make up a lie on the spot.

Maya bit her lip. "Mr. Matthews, it's no big deal," she assured him. "I, I just... um, well, you see, my cat, she uh, she started to... Attack! She started to attack me and um, well, yea."

_It wasn't a total lie,_ Maya told herself. _Just replace the c in cat with a k, and add a y to the end. My "Katy" attacked me._

Everyone stared at her for a minute. No one believed that her cat could have possibly given her a black eye.

"Okay," said Topanga, with a trace of suspicion rising in her tone. "Well, I'm so sorry, sweetie." She reached out to give Maya a motherly embrace.

Maya gulped heavily. Why couldn't she have a mother like this? One who had your back. One who would give you a hug whether you're sad, hurt or perfectly fine. One like the one Riley had.

"Who's ready for breakfast?" asked Cory. "I gotta go in... Ugh, now. There's no time to eat, I'll just grab a granola bar." He kissed the top of Auggie's head and gave his wife a kiss goodbye, and then he turned to the two girls. "And I'll hopefully see you too at school."

Maya chuckled. "Will do, sir," she said, saluting. "That's the attitude," Cory laughed before leaving the apartment.

"I'm starving, mom," said Riley, taking her usual seat at the table.

"Okay, well, I've got humungous pancakes and some chocolate milk on the way," said Topanga, serving each kid three pancakes.

"Gosh, this looks delicious," said Maya, pouring maple syrup onto her breakfast. "Thanks, Mrs. Matthews." Topanga smiled, surprised by Maya's unusual politeness. "Oh, anytime, Maya," she said. "You probably appreciate my cooking more than anyone else in this family."

Topanga's response made Maya smile for the first time all day. Did the Matthews really think of her as family? Probably not.

"So Maya," said Riley. "What are you doing later on? Wanna hang out?" Riley knew that there was no point of asking- they were obviously going to be together that afternoon.

"Sorry," said Maya, tricking her friend. "I'm busy."

"What?" gasped Riley, astounded by Maya's response. "Yeah, I'm going to the Matthews house today," Maya said smiling.

Riley laughed. "Oh. Mom, can Maya sleep over tonight?" she asked. "Yes, can she?" added Maya.

"Of course," said Topanga. The two girls squealed with excitement until Maya forgot that she'd have to tell her mother. She couldn't write her a note because she wouldn't be home and she wouldn't even read Maya's texts.

"I just forgot," said Maya. "I don't have pajamas with me."

Riley laughed. "Don't be silly, we can just stop by your apartment and get them."

Maya guessed that it must have been okay to sleep over, since her mother said 'whatever', but she couldn't let Riley into her house, especially not into her bedroom.

"I can go," she said. "Or you wait outside in the hall." Riley looked confused. "Why?" she asked.

"Just cuz," Maya said casually, hoping that Riley would shut up. But much to her dismay, Riley continued to bother her.

"Cuz..." said Riley, expecting Maya to give her a good explanation.

Maya rolled her eyes. "Ugh, cuz my apartment's a mess, okay?"

Topanga laughed. "Maya, you're here practically everyday and this place is never clean."

"This is different," muttered Maya, feeling defeated. "Okay, whatever. We'll go after we go to Starbucks or whatever we're doing today."

After breakfast, Maya and Riley said goodbye to Topanga and Auggie and were on their way to school. Riley loved riding the subway to school, or just riding the subway in general. She felt mature and responsible. She felt cool for once in her life.

"So..." Said Riley, breaking an awkward silence on the subway. "Did you, uh, do your homework?" Obviously, she expected the answer to be no.

"Well, I didn't do math, science or English," said Maya. "But I did Social Studies!"

Riley's jaw dropped. _Maya Hart actually did her homework? _

"You did?" asked Riley. "Yep," said Maya perkily. "Well, only six sentences."

Riley nudged her friend gently, whispering "I only did five. You're catching up, my friend!"

Maya laughed, wrapping her arm around Riley. If it wasn't for her best friend, she would be totally lost. With her situation at home, she wouldn't know what to do without Riley and the Matthews.

"But what made you do it?"

Maya didn't know how to answer this question. She obviously couldn't tell Riley. Then she would tell her dad, and then Maya would have to live in a foster home or orphanage once her mom was arrested. She couldn't let that happen.

"Well, my mom got kinda mad after the whole homework rebellion thing, so I wanted to make her proud," Maya answered cooly.

"Did you get grounded?" asked Riley. Maya sighed. That was the worst punishment Riley ever had from her parents. She didn't realize that she was so lucky to have a great family,

"No," said Maya. "She, um, she yelled at me for a while and then just let it go." _I hate lying to you, Riley,_ Maya thought. _But I have to._

"What? You're so lucky! My parents would've flipped!" exclaimed Riley, oblivious of the issues Maya had in her life.

"Yeah," Maya said softly, turning away from Riley so she wouldn't see her cry.

"Your mom is so nice to you," Riley said. "My parents are, they're abusive, Maya!"

Maya couldn't take it anymore. She didn't care if Riley saw her cry (although she did wipe away her tears).

"Ry, you have no idea what abusiveness is. Why? Because your parents are the farthest thing from it. You're the lucky one," she sobbed.

"Maya, are you alright?" asked Riley, concerned. She barely ever saw Maya cry.

"I'm fine," lied Maya. "Not that I'd know what it's like to be abused. I just feel bad for kids who are." After that, the two didn't talk the rest of the way to school.

* * *

"Class, I'm not assigning any homework over the weekend, so live it up. It may be your last work-free break." With that, the school bell rang and the students in Mr. Matthew's Social Studies class stormed out of the room, ready for lunch.

"Did you see the look on my dad's face when you handed on your homework?" Riley asked Maya, who laughed.

"Yep!" she said. "I'm surprised that he didn't say anything."

"Just another reason to love one of the two most beautiful women in the world," flirted Farkle. "You're making a change to brighten your future, Maya. I find that extremely attractive."

"Gee, Farkle, I'm speechless," said Maya sarcastically. "Ready to go? I can't wait to leave this room!"

"Hey, Maya," called Cory from his desk. "Can you stay after class for a few minutes? I need to speak to you."

Lucas, Farkle and Riley laughed as Maya groaned. "Perfect timing," whispered Lucas, elbowing Maya. "Don't worry, My, we'll save a seat for you at lunch."

Just as all of the students left, Cory asked Maya to close the door. "What did I do now," muttered Maya, having a bad feeling about how conversation would play out.

"Your homework," said Cory plainly. "And I'm really proud of you for that. But I know you too well, Maya. Why did you do it?"

Maya shrugged, even though she knew why she did.

_(Flashback) Maya sighed. "Mom, I can't, I'm leaving in ten minutes," she said, knowing that it probably wasn't the best thing to say. "I'll do it in homeroom, I promise!" Katy began to fume, predicting that her daughter was lying. Without saying a word, she clutched Maya's hand violently and ripped the skin on her wrist with the knife she was using to make her lunch. Maya immediately pulled back her hand, trying to fight back tears through the pain. The last thing that she needed was for her mother to call her a crybaby and hurt her even more.(End Flashback)_

"Because I wanted to please my mom, and you," she said, avoiding looking her teacher in the eye.

Cory took a deep breath, knowing that there was more to the story. "Well, I have another question for you," he said, showing her her homework essay. "What's this?" He was pointing to the corner, which had a splash of red on it.

Maya gasped. She was doing her homework immediately after her mother struck her. She must have bled onto the paper and didn't even notice.

She was speechless, unsure of how to answer his question. "Uh, it was, um..." She clapped her hand over her scar, but to her disadvantage, Cory noticed it before it was hidden.

"Your cat?" finished Cory, although he knew that it wasn't the answer.

Maya nodded, gulping heavily_. Maya, stop getting so nervous,_ she told herself. _It's so obvious now_.

"Okay," said Cory, moving on to his next question. "Remember after your homework protest? You said that you had no one home to help you with your homework. What did you mean?"

Maya sensed that he was figuring out that there was something wrong with her relationship with her mother. Although it was true, he just couldn't know.

"Oh, it's not a big deal," she said. "My mom just works a lot and I get confused. It's all my fault I don't do it, not my mom's."

"Why don't you just wait until she comes home?" _Ugh,_ Maya thought. _He's getting so annoying._

"Look," she said, showing her annoyance. "I was just angry and I was over exaggerating. No big deal."

Maya suddenly faded out of her annoyed zone and winced back, covering her face and gained her undiscovered innocent side. "I'm sorry. P-Please don't hurt me."

Cory gazed at her, feeling both hurt and pity for the girl standing before him. She thought that he would hurt her, but why?

"Maya, why would I ever hurt you?" he asked softly, trying to comfort the distressed girl.

Maya shrugged. "I don't know. Natural instinct, I guess." _Shoot, I shouldn't have said that._

"When have I ever hurt you, Maya?" questioned Cory. Maya shook her head and hands from all of the pressure. "I don't know why I said that. Just forget it. Can I please leave now?" She needed to remove herself from the situation.

Cory bit his lip. "Alright," he agreed. "But I have one last question. Is everything alright at home between you and your mother?"

Maya's head began to spin and her palms were sweating. He knew. What should she say? She knew that she couldn't convince him that nothing was wrong.

"Yes," she said, with her voice cracking and shaking. "Why would you even think that something was wrong? Everything's perfectly perfect. Can I go to lunch now?"

Cory instantly could tell that she was lying, but said, "okay, sure. I'll, uh... I'll see you later."

* * *

"So, what did he want?" asked Riley. Maya shrugged. "I dunno. He just congratulated me on doing my homework, that's all."

"That's it?" Asked Lucas. "You've been in there for a long time."

"Guys, I'd rather not talk about it," said Maya, fighting back tears. The words '_retarded bitch_' and '_pain in the ass_' began soaring through her mind.

"Okay," said Riley, giving the Lucas the 'I don't know what's up with her' look. Maya was acting so vulnerable and fragile lately, and Riley didn't know why. It was definitely not Maya, and she wished that her friend would tell her what was wrong.

Just then, a voice broke the trances of Maya, Lucas, Riley and Farkle. "Is it okay if I sit here? Everywhere else is full."

"Sure," said Maya, patting the seat right next to her. Did Brett Hale seriously just ask to sit with her and her friends?

"I'm Brett," he said. "I just moved from Staten Island." Lucas smiled. He wasn't the 'new kid' anymore.

"This is Farkle!" said Farkle dramatically. "Hi, I'm Riley," said Riley. "Lucas." "Hey, I'm Maya," said Maya in a flirty and pretty voice.

Riley expected for her friend to say "'sup, I'm Maya" or "yo, Maya in the house." She could tell that Maya was crushing and that she was crushing hard.

The five talked and introduced Brett to the school, which was enough to take Maya's thoughts off of her conversation with Cory, and especially her mother.

After the bell rang and everyone began scurrying back to class, Brett pulled Maya aside to talk for a minute.

"Maya!" He called, causing her to turn around in an instant. Brett was actually talking to her alone!

"I know that this sounds crazy, because you know, I just met you, but maybe we could go to Starbucks or something after school on Monday. I would say today, but I have to unpack," he said.

"Yeah, uh, sure! That would be great!" squealed Maya.

"Great," smiled Brett. "Catch ya later."

"Bye!" said Maya, and then turned away, made a fist and whispered "yessssssssss!"

* * *

"Why can't I come in? I hardly ever come over anymore," complained Riley once she and Maya made it to the Harts' apartment after school.

Maya sighed. "I'm letting you in, but you seriously can't look in my room," she said strictly.

"Aw, but why?" Riley innocently protested. "I let you trash my room, and you don't even let me in yours!"

Maya sighed. She did have a point. "Riley, I can't tell you everything. All I'm saying is that I have a lot of issues that you don't know about. There's nothing that I could do, and if I try, I'll only get hurt. If you want to see me again, I would recommend that you stay out of my room."

"Fine," agreed Riley. "But what's wrong? You can trust me with a secret." Maya laughed. "I'm not so sure that you won't go running to your dad this time. I'll be right back."

Maya crept into her room and locked the door. She knew that Riley was overall a good girl, but when she knew that someone was hiding something, she couldn't resist getting to the bottom of it.

After getting a pair of pajamas, her toothbrush and clothes for the next day, Maya sat on her bed, looking at her walls. Pity rushed through her, but not for herself. For her mother. Her mother was having such a hard time, and Maya was only making it harder for her. Maybe she deserved what her mother did to her. Did she?

After pulling herself together, Maya slipped out of her room. "You ready?" she asked. "You bet! What movie do you want to watch tonight?" responded Riley.

"Mean Girls," the two said at the same time while leaving Maya's apartment and began laughing. They both loved that movie so much, it was like a special part of their friendship.

"We're both like Cady and Janice," said Riley. "Farkle is Damien, Missy is Regina, and Lucas is most definitely Aaron."

"So is Brett," defended Maya. "Ooh, I see Maya has a crush," teased Riley, nudging her friend in the ribs. Maya winced; that's where her mother has kicked her a few days before.

"And like you don't," scoffed Maya, hiding the pain. "And I may have a crush, but also a possible boyfriend. He... Well, he asked me out!"

"Lucky!" squealed Riley. "Aw, I'm so happy for you. Brett is so hot! And we both know that Lucas likes me, at least I hope so, but he hasn't made a move yet and we've known him for weeks!"

Maya laughed. "Yeah, he's just nervous. You're too perfect for him so he's afraid of your response."

Riley give Maya a half smile with uncertainty in her eyes. "You really think so?" she asked. "Totally," said Maya. "Let's go."

The two girls didn't really talk much on the subway. They had so many things to let slip, but they decided not to talk yet because they would never know who would overhear them, like Missy, Brett, or Lucas.

"I just need to say thank you," said Riley, which astonished Maya. What did Riley need to thank her for? Maya had done nothing productive for her, but Riley had saved her countless times.

"What?" asked Maya. "No, no, no, I think that _I'm_ the one who has to thank _you_. You always have my back for everything, even if you don't know what's bothering me. I'm at your house everyday. Like you said, if I get into trouble, you'll get me out of it."

Riley laughed. "Well, that's true," she admitted. "But I need to thank you. If it weren't for you I wouldn't be here. I mean, I would have never gotten permission to use the subway without you."

Maya smiled. "Yeah, I know," she said, resting her head on Riley's shoulder.

* * *

"Pillow fight!" shouted Maya as everyone was getting ready for the movie to put on the movie.

"Me and Maya verse Auggie," teased Riley, folding her arms. "No fair," pouted Auggie. "Daddy, tell them that's not fair."

"That's not fair," said Cory, rubbing the top of Maya and Riley's hair.

"Whatever, every man for himself," proclaimed Maya, smacking Riley with her pillow.

Riley gasped. "Oh no, you didn't," she squealed, chasing Maya around her apartment.

"Girls, have you decided on a movie?" asked Topanga as she put the popcorn and soda on the table.

"Mean Girls," said Riley, plopping herself on the couch.

"_Again_, no fair," complained Auggie. "I wanna watch a movie, too."

Topanga sighed. "Sorry girls but he's right. You can still pick the movie, but pick something age-appropriate for a five year-old. What movies were you both obsessed with when you were his age?"

Maya laughed. "High School Musical," she said. "And I'd _totally_ watch that!"

Riley groaned. "Alright," she agreed, putting in the DVD and pressing play.

Cory and Topanga laughed as Riley and Maya were lip syncing to 'The Start of Something New' and Auggie was staring at the TV, whispering "what the heck is this?"

But Cory was still concerned about Maya. He could easily tell that she was hurting at home, and that it wasn't her cat that was hurting her.

After the movie was over and the kids went to bed, he decided to talk to Topanga about his conversation with Maya and what he predicted was happening in her life.

"Gosh," said Topanga sadly. "Poor Maya."

"And I know that she doesn't want us to know," added Cory. "But I can't let this continue, Topi. We know that Katy is dealing with many problems and if she's hurting Maya in the process, we need to report it!"

Topanga massaged Cory's back, knowing that he was getting stressed out. "Babe, I think I know why she won't tell us," she cooed. "She's afraid of being taken away to a foster home."

"But we'd take her in to our home," protested Cory. "Doesn't she know that?"

"I don't know," said Topanga. "I know that she doesn't think that you like her that much, which is sometimes true. Let's just call Katy before we call the police, okay?"

Cory nodded, but stood at Riley's bedroom door, eavesdropping on the conversation taking place in that room. Maybe Maya would spill her guts to Riley, since she was much closer to her than she was to himself.

"I'm exhausted," yawned Riley, climbing into bed next to Maya. "Yeah," sighed Maya, glancing over to check the time on Riley's alarm clock. It was 12:57 a.m.

"Whoa, it's way past Auggie's bedtime," said Riley. Maya chuckled. "And _yours_, too," she joked.

"Ha, ha, ha, _very_ funny," Riley said sarcastically. "Jeez, I can't believe I'm saying this but I'm ready to go to sleep."

Maya wasn't gonna stop teasing Riley. "Nope," she smiled. "You're not ready to go to sleep, but you're ready to dream about Texas boy."

Riley laughed. "Stop it," she said, smacking Maya on the arm, causing her to wince in pain. She already had a bruise on her arm from her mom.

"Ouch," said Maya. Riley's eyes widened in concern. "Sorry, Maya, are you okay?" she apologized.

"Yeah, I'm okay," said Maya, hating to lie again. "My cat."

The door creaked open. "Goodnight, girls," said Topanga and Cory at the same time. "Goodnight, I love you," said Riley. "Night," yawned Maya.

"G'night, Riles," said Maya. "Don't let the bedbugs bite," joked Riley before turning off her light and drifting off to sleep.

But Maya couldn't sleep. Riley told her parents that she loved them. Maya wished that she could love her mother enough to tell her that. But her mother didn't love her back. She hated Maya, and she made it quite clear to her.

Maya looked around Riley's room, examining her bedroom walls. They were bright blue with pictures, hooks, a clock, stickers and banners on them. There weren't any hurtful words written on them by her parents.

Although she hated it, Maya couldn't help getting jealous of Riley. She had the perfect life. Her parents were nice and they loved her. They didn't neglect her. They didn't beat her.

Thinking back to the conversation with Cory, Maya realized that it was the perfect opportunity to reveal her life at home. She just couldn't do it. Maybe the Matthews would take her in, but what if they didn't? What if her mom would hurt her for one last time, but it would be terrible?

_Stay strong, Maya_, she told herself before dozing off to sleep, feeling safe surrounded by this type of bedroom walls.

**And that's it for this chapter! Sorry, I know that it was pretty long. Feel free to leave in your reviews what you'd like to see next. I'll try to update soon, and thanks for reading! Xoxo**


	2. Gone Too Far

**AN: Hey guys! Thank you all so much for the amazing reviews! I appreciate each and every one I've received and the support is unreal. I'd also like to thank ****_t0biastrisf0ursix _****for********helping me with the editing for this chapter. So here's chapter 2! :)**

**Disclaimer: Of course I own everything! Okay... Not really. The only thing that I own is the story :)**

Riley woke up to the sounds of birds chirping and the television playing. She turned over to check the time; 7:02 a.m. Rolling back to her comfortable place on her bed, she tried to drift back to sleep since she knew that Maya would be asleep for about another two hours.

But it was useless. Whenever Riley woke up, it was time for her to wake up. It was impossible for her to fall back asleep once she was awake.

She decided not to wake up Maya. She looked so peaceful and innocent when she was sleeping in contrary to the rebellious girl she really was.

Riley frowned when she looked at Maya's black eye. She was starting to believe that it wasn't her cat who attacked her. There was something else.

Maya was acting really strange lately. She was very defensive and sad, unlike the hyped up and spirited girl everyone knew her to be. Riley guessed that it could've been the hormones and Maya was hitting puberty, but she wasn't so sure. _Maya could deal with puberty_, Riley reminded herself. And she would've told me anyway. _She always tells me everything._

Could it be depression? Maybe Maya had beaten herself. She felt horrible after she set off the fire alarms at school, so maybe that tampered with her ego. Riley hoped that Maya wasn't depressed because all that she wanted to do was make her happy.

Getting bored of lying in her bed and worrying about Maya, Riley decided to get out of bed. She opened her bedroom door and saw her parents standing and talking in the hall- about Maya.

"Topi, what should I do about Maya?" asked Cory. "I know that something's wrong with her."

"I'll call Katy," Topanga said. "I'm not sure if she'll tell me the truth, so I won't ask her straight out 'have you been abusing Maya?', but I might ask her ask if Riley could go over to their apartment one day. I'll what she says. If she says yes, we'll ask Riley if she's been asking strangely or secretive."

Cory shook his head. "No way," he said. "I don't want my daughter in that type of environment. Don't even call just yet. Give it some time."

"But what is Maya gets hurt even further? We have to prevent that," said Topanga. She opened her mouth to say more, but stopped once she heard a soft voice coming from Riley's room.

"What are you talking about?" asked Riley with a worried expression on her face.

Topanga looked over at Cory who looked right back at her. How could they explain this to their daughter?

"Sweetie, is Maya awake?" asked Topanga. Riley shook her head. "No, why?"

"Come here, Riley," said Cory, trying to be calm while explaining this sensitive subject to his daughter.

Riley sat down next to her dad on the couch. "Daddy, is everything alright?" she asked, fearing that something was terribly wrong.

"Well, honey, that's what we were gonna ask you," said Topanga. "Do you suspect that Maya may be hiding something? Maybe something about her mother or her home?"

Riley shrugged, thinking back to the day before. "Well, she didn't let me into her apartment yesterday," she started, trying to think of other ways Maya has been acting different or secretive. "Ms. Hart isn't gonna be home until Sunday night, um, well, she didn't really care about the homework rebellion and...and she also would act really defensive when someone said the word 'abuse'."

Cory and Topanga exchanged worried looks, and Riley began to realize what was going on. "Oh my gosh! Do you guys think that- that Maya's being abused at home?" she asked, her eyes wide with sympathy.

Topanga shrugged. "That's what it seems like, babe," she said. "I could tell that she's been really sad lately and she was all shaken up yesterday when we asked her about her black eye, plus I seriously don't think that a cat could've done that to her."

"And remember yesterday I had her stay for a few minutes after class?" Cory asked. Riley nodded, remembering that Maya had said that all Cory wanted was to congratulate her on doing her homework.

"Well, I was asking her a few questions, and she seemed very apprehensive about how to answer them. They all had something to do with her mother," Cory continued.

Tears were flooding to Riley's eyes and were soon pouring down her cheeks. "Poor Maya," she whispered.

"Come here, baby girl," said Topanga, reaching out to give Riley a hug. But Riley rejected the embrace, now hysterical crying.

"No," she shrieked. "How could I possibly give my mother a hug when all my best friend's mother does to her is torture her?"

Cory could see that Topanga was very hurt my Riley's sudden outburst. "Riley, your mom would never hurt you, you know that," he reminded her.

Riley jumped up and started pacing the floor. "It's just not fair! Why is her mother doing this to her?" she cried.

Topanga placed her hands on her daughter's shoulders, trying to calm her down. "Honey, honey, look at me," she said. "We'll figure this out, okay? Trust me. Your dad and I will do our best to protect Maya, alright?"

Riley took a deep breath. She knew that her mother was right. Maya would be fine, but she was just so angry at Ms. Hart. How could someone do that to their own child?

"Ry, do you know why I think that Maya's mother treats her the way that we think that she does?" asked Cory.

Riley shrugged. "I dunno," she sniffed. But by Cory's tone, she knew that it was something bad.

"Well, Ms. Hart got pregnant at a very young age," started Topanga. "In fact, I think that she was still in high school. But her boyfriend left her and she had to raise Maya on her own."

"Oh," whispered Riley. This was why Maya never mentioned her father. "What should I say when she wakes up?"

"When who wakes up?"

Topanga, Cory and Riley all turned to see Maya standing at the doorway, smiling. "You goofballs were talking about me, weren't you?" she joked, skipping over to the couch.

Riley immediately started bawling, wrapping her arms around Maya's neck. "I'm so sorry," she whispered.

"Riley," Cory coughed, pulling his daughter off of Maya. He knew that Maya didn't want them to know, or at least make a big deal out of it.

"Is everything alright?" Maya asked, worried that now Riley was discovering her secret. Riley was too innocent to know about this.

"But aren't you-" "Riley, honey that's enough," Topanga cut off Riley. She knew that her daughter meant well, but it too sensitive of a subject to just randomly bring up, especially to Maya.

"Maya, come sit down," said Cory, gesturing Maya to the couch.

Maya sighed. "What, did I get into even more trouble?" she asked, although she knew that they were going to ask her again if everything was alright at home.

"No, no, no, honey, of course not," cooed Topanga, wrapping her arm around Maya. She was trying to the best of her ability to be the comforting and caring mother that the twelve year-old never had.

Maya shrugged. "So... What's up?" she asked. _Maya, all you need to do is act like you don't know anything_, she told herself.

Cory placed his hand on Maya's shoulder. "First of all, we want you to know that you can come to talk to us about anything," he said. "You know that, right?"

With her palms starting to sweat and her heart beating rapidly, Maya nodded with wide eyes. "Yes," she choked.

"Well, I know this makes you uncomfortable, but there's no denying that-" Cory continued, but was immediately cut off by Maya.

"I know what you're gonna say," she cried. "You're gonna ask me if my mom treats me badly at me at home, which isn't true! Can you just stop talking about it?"

Topanga, Cory and Riley all exchanged worried gazes, indicating that they were all unsure of what to say next.

"Maya," Riley said softly, holding her friend's hand. "You don't have to hide anymore. Talk to us."

Maya took a deep breath, realizing that it was useless to argue with them. There was nothing left to hide.

"Okay, I'll tell you guys something, but only if afterwards you stop badgering me about my home life," she said, feeling all eyes on her.

"Alright," agreed Topanga. "So tell us. What's wrong?"

"All I'm g-going to-t-to say is th-that I, well, I don't have like, the, the best relationship w-with my mom and she gets angry with me a-a lot. That's it," Maya stammered, tears forming in her eyes.

Cory bit his lip. "Maya, I didn't want to use this word, but I need the truth," he said gingerly. "Would you call your mother 'abusive'?"

Maya froze. Her worst nightmares were coming true. How was she supposed to answer this? It seemed that the more she tried to protect her secret, the more it was getting discovered.

Instead of answering yes, all that Maya said was, "you know that I'm tired of lying to you."

This time, it was Cory who was tearing up. He had known Maya for about ten years, but he only realized that her life was as awful as it was until that very moment. Maya had always looked up to him as a father figure, but he didn't even realize what terrible things he had to protect her from.

"That's all I'm saying," Maya whispered before turning back to Riley's bedroom and closing the door.

Riley felt her heart sink into her stomach when she heard a few choked, broken sobs that Maya was trying to control.

"I'm going in," she stated, but Topanga grabbed her hand and pulled her back to the couch.

"Not, now, sweetheart," Topanga said, reattempting to embrace her daughter, this time succeeding.

Riley wept silently into her mother's shoulder and felt her father rubbing her back. "We'll take care of everything, I promise," Cory said.

"Bu-but what about Maya?" sniffed Riley. "I don't want her to live in a- in a f-fo-f-foster home."

Topanga smiled. "I know that you'll hate this," she teased her daughter. "But Maya will just have to stay with us."

Riley began grinning from ear to ear despite all of her sorrow. Maya was practically her sister, so the thought of living together really eased Riley's fears of never seeing her again.

"Really? You mean it?" she asked, wiping the tears away from her eyes. She knew that her mom would welcome Maya into their home with open arms, but her dad was a different story.

"Yes, we mean it," answered Cory, relieving Riley. "We're going to report this to the police, but only after Maya goes home. She'd freak out if we called when she was still here, right?"

Riley nodded, drying her eyes. She knew that it was for the best.

"I think that Ms. Hart will be home Sunday night," she informed her parents.

"Sunday night?" Cory and Topanga gasped simultaneously.

"Who leaves a twelve year old alone for two nights? If we didn't let her sleep over then she would be on her own!" exclaimed Cory.

Topanga shrugged. "I don't know," she said. "But I'm guessing that it's not the first time that she'd left Maya."

Riley looked up to her father like he was a hero. "Thank you so much, Daddy," she wept. "I mean, if it weren't for you, Maya would have to go through this again and again, and..." She couldn't even finish her sentence because she was so saddened by Maya's situation.

Cory smiled, kissing the top of Riley's head. "I know," he said. "Now go. Go in and talk to her, but don't talk about _'it_', okay?"

"Okay," said Riley, making her way towards her bedroom.

She opened the door to see Maya pacing and wiping tears off of her face.

"What do you want?" she sniffed, sitting down on Riley's bed.

"C'mon," Riley said, extending her arm and reaching for Maya's hand. "Let's go watch Mean Girls before Auggie wakes up."

Riley expected for Maya to laugh and take her hand, but instead she turned her back on her.

"No," Maya said. "You know about, you know, about _my life_ now. There's nothing I can do about it." All that she wanted was to bawl in Riley's arms and be consoled by Cory and Topanga, but she just had to make it seem like it wasn't a big deal. _Be strong_, she reminded herself._ You'll be okay_.

"Maya, you should be _glad_ that we know," said Riley, resting her hand on her friend's shoulder. "It doesn't make us love you any less."

Maya shut her eyes tightly, trying not to think of the punishment that she'd receive if her mother found out that the Matthews knew what she was abusing her.

"Riley, you don't know how hard this is for me," Maya said, finally turning back around to look at Riley in the eye. "I really wanted to tell you, and I don't know why but I also didn't want you to know. I guess that part of me just wants to please my mom. I can't... You know... Give her another reason to..."

"I know," Riley immediately replied, noticing that her friend was having trouble finishing her sentence. "You don't have to say it."

She sat down next to Maya and warmly embraced her, hearing her holding back heavy sobs that should have been cried out.

"You know that you don't always have to be so strong," Riley whispered. "We're all here for you."

Maya sighed. The last thing that she wanted was to be another burden for the Matthews family. They really weren't her family, so they didn't have to care as much as they did.

"And you don't have to worry about me," she insisted. "It's seriously not a big deal."

"Yes it is," said Cory, who was standing at the threshold between Riley's bedroom and the hallway. "I just couldn't help myself from overhearing your conversation."

Startled, Maya jumped up off of the bed and immediately sprinted over to Cory.

"Mr. Matthews, you seriously can't tell anyone about this!" she begged. "Please, please, don't!"

Cory sighed. "But why?" he asked. "Why would you want to stay with your mother if she treats you that poorly? It's my duty as both a father and a teacher to protect you."

As much as she didn't want to, Maya felt the need or lie again, no matter how poor her excuse was. "She really isn't that bad, I'm telling you!"

"My, you can tell us the truth," Riley said, holding Maya's hand.

"That is the truth!" yelled Maya, getting frustrated with Riley and Cory. She managed to get free from Riley's grasp and then backed away from her.

"My God, you said that you'd stop annoying me if I told you the truth!" she groaned. "All that I said was that my mom and I aren't that close, okay?"

"Alright," said Cory, deeply sorrowful for Maya. He wished that she could just be comfortable expressing her feelings, but he also knew that he should just give her some space instead of pressuring her with all sorts of interrogations about her home life.

"We'll stop," Riley said, getting the idea that her father felt that Maya should be left alone.

Maya was relieved by their responses, although she knew that this wasn't the end of all of their questions. All she needed to do was avoid the subject for as long as she could.

"Thanks," she sniffed. "So... Who's ready for breakfast?"

* * *

"Alright, here are my special homemade Belgium waffles topped with vanilla ice cream and a side of fruit salad," said Topanga as she served everyone their breakfast.

"Yum," said Maya, digging in to her waffle. "This looks so good, Mrs. Matthews."

It seemed as if Matthews' apartment was the only place where she would be served delicious meals- her mother never even fed her at home. Maya would eat breakfast made by Topanga, lunch at school and would usually make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for dinner. Nothing to do with Katy Hart, even though she worked at a diner.

"Oh, anytime, Maya," said Topanga, smiling that Maya wasn't moping around as she was expecting her to.

Although she didn't admit it, the only reason that Topanga was making special and unhealthy breakfasts lately was because she noticed that Maya was acting all depressed and sad, which was understandable due to what she had realized that morning.

"Uh, Maya," said Riley. "Do you want to stay over again tonight?" She knew that Katy wouldn't be home all weekend and didn't want Maya to be all alone, and she didn't even bother asking her parents. They would most definitely say yes.

Maya nodded gleefully. "Yea, I was gonna ask because... Because..." she started, but she didn't want to say that her mother wouldn't be home, whether they knew or not. She didn't want to bring up the subject of her mom.

"Okay, well, you're more than welcome, hon," said Topanga, understanding that Maya was getting uncomfortable.

Auggie groaned. "Ugh, do we have to watch that High Music School thingy again?" he asked causing everyone to laugh.

"It's High School Musical," corrected Riley. "And we won't watch it, Auggie, don't worry."

Maya laughed, hiding her emotions. "She's right Auggie, we won't watch that one. We'll watch High School Musical 2!" she teased.

"Alright!" exclaimed Riley. "That one's the best!"

The two girls continued to annoy Auggie by running around the house, singing '_Fabulous_' to the top of their lungs.

"I need a little fabulous, is that so wrong?" they chanted before the doorbell rang.

"Who is it?" Cory yelled, trying to calm the overly hyper girls down.

"Hi, Cory, it's Katy Hart. Can I come in?"

Everyone (except for Auggie) worriedly glanced at Maya, whose heartbeat could be heard from a mile away.

"It's okay," she said, but her expression told another story. She went bone white and her body was shaking, not to mention that her face was easier to read than a book. "Uh, come in, Mom!"

The door creaked open and Katy looked like a train wreck. Her hair was a mess and Maya could immediately tell that she was out late the night before, getting drunk.

"Hi, Mom!" Maya said meekly, faking a smile. _Oh, no_, she was thinking to herself.

"Maya!" exclaimed Katy, pulling Maya into a tight but pretend hug. Maya's facial expressions showed that she was very uncomfortable, and Cory noticed that immediately.

Maya pulled away from the hug, feeling unfortunate that her mom came back earlier than expected.

"Um, Mom!" she exclaimed, trying to act happy. "You're home early!"

Katy laughed. "Oh, I just missed you so much," she lied. "Now get your things. We're gonna have a lot of fun when we get home."

Groaning, Maya headed to Riley's room to get her bag._ No, no, no, no, no,_ she thought to herself. _Her ideas of fun are always my ideas of torture._

"Okay, I got my stuff," she said as grabbed her backpack and returned to the living room, redeeming herself from her fears.

"Alright, bye Maya," said Riley, hugging her friend, but then whispered in her ear, "Call me if anything happens."

Maya laughed even though she felt like crying. "Bye, Riley, and you bet." she said, turning to Cory and Topanga. "Thank you!"

"Anytime, Maya," said Cory, feeling like there was a knot forming in his stomach. He couldn't let Maya go home to her mother's abuse.

"Wait Katy," he said just as Maya and Katy were leaving the apartment. "Does Maya want to stay for another night, because I don't want her to go home if you..." He stopped himself, knowing that he shouldn't have said that.

Katy froze, sensing that they knew that something was wrong. "Oh, no, Cory, that's not necessary," she said, pinching Maya's cheek extremely hard. "Besides, I have some special mother-daughter time planned for Maya and I."

"Th-thanks anyway," said Maya as her mother grabbed her by the hand and pulled her out of the apartment.

Before the door closed, Cory, Topanga and Riley caught a glimpse of Maya's wide eyes looking into theirs, filled with both fear and trauma.

Moments passed after Maya and Katy left and no one said a word. The look in Maya's eyes concerned them all, especially since Katy said that she had planned some '_special mother-daughter time_'.

"Cory," Topanga said, clutching her husband's arm. "I have a feeling something terrible's gonna happen. You have to report this. Call right now."

* * *

"How do you like that, huh?" screamed Katy after she wrote '_untrustworthy and bitchy_' on Maya's bedroom wall. "I know that you told them, didn't you?!"

"No, I swear that I didn't!" cried Maya, falling on her knees. "They just found out on their own! I really didn't say a word!"

Katy huffed, folding her arms. "Shut up, Maya!" she yelled. "And don't pull that '_please don't hurt me_' crap. You know why? Cuz I'm gonna hurt you. Big time!"

"No, please don't!" Maya shrieked before her mother pinned her against the wall and punched her in the face seven times.

Maya fell to the floor as her mother released her, feeling blood dripping from her nose.

"I'm not done yet," Katy said with an evil grin stretched across her face. She was about get a kitchen knife to repeat what happened the previous morning, but something knocked her over before she could take three steps.

"_Maya_?"

"Mom, I won't take this anymore!" she snarled, showing her mother a stronger side to herself.

Maya felt the fury spread throughout her entire body. "I will _not_ be your pushover any longer!"

"Maya, let me up," Katy demanded, struggling to fight Maya off. She was shocked to see her daughter actually standing up for herself. Although she hated it, one percent of her was proud of Maya.

"No," growled Maya. She didn't strike her mother, but she continued to push her down to the floor. "This has gone too far, mom! You know what, I shouldn't even fall you that! This has gone too, far, _Katy_. Way too far!"

After letting go of her mother, Maya made a beeline for the door.

"I know that you hate me, and my bedroom walls prove that," she yelled, a sudden confidence overcoming her. "So you won't have to deal with this '_retarded bitch_' any longer!"

"Maya, don't you dare leave this room," shrieked Katy, but Maya disobeyed her and did the exact opposite.

Maya slammed the door and sprinted down the hallway towards the elevator. She could never go back to her apartment ever again, and she was too angry to go back crying to the Matthews. They would be too nice, too consoling. She needed to be alone. Everyone was better off without her, anyway.

"I should have thought this through," muttered Maya as she pushed the elevator button going to the lobby. She only had twenty dollars in her pocket, but if she spent it wisely, she could make it through a week on her own. And since no one was there to stop her anymore, pickpocketing could be an option to raise money.

But where would she stay? She could never last on her own in the Big Apple, not even for a month.

"After a while, I'll just go to the Matthews apartment," she decided as she left her building and felt a cool breeze brush across her face.

A tear involuntarily trickled down Maya's cheek. Did she make the right choice walking out like that? Her mother didn't come after her, so why would Maya want to live with someone who didn't care?

But Maya just ran out on a spur of the moment. She would never return to her mother, but she would never continue life as a runaway.

_I wonder how Riley would feel_, thought Maya. She shuddered at the thought. Riley would be broken hearted when she would find out that Maya was missing.

Maya shrugged off the feeling. The Matthews would probably be concerned, but it's not like they wouldn't ever see her ever again. She would only be back in one or two days the latest.

Maya pulled out the smartphone that Cory had bought her and began to type a text message to Riley.

**To: Riley**

**Message: Don't worry abt me. I'll b fine, & I'll c u soon. I'll be gone 4 a few days, but I'll be back at ur apartment b4 u kno it. Thx sm for everything 3**

But before she pressed 'send', Maya realized that Riley would keep spamming her with phone calls and text messages, asking _"WHERE ARE YOU?"_

Maya backspaced the entire message and shut off her phone. She needed some space and time to clear her thoughts.

As soon as she realized that her nose had stopped bleeding, Maya hopped on the subway going to Central Park, her favorite part of the city.

The whole subway car was empty, just the way Maya liked it. "It's okay, now," she comforted herself. "No one's here. Let it out."

Since there was nobody to hide her feelings from, the distressed twelve-year-old started bawling. She began to regret storming out, but she then realized that it was the right choice.

"I'll be alright," she reminded herself. "I did the right thing. Besides, Mom has gone way too far."

**And that's a wrap! Please don't kill me for the ending of this chapter. But I'm warning you, it gets worse. Will Maya actually go back to the Matthews, or does something happen that stops her from going anywhere? Lol, I'm the worst at keeping secrets. BUT DONT WORRY, THERE'S A HAPPY ENDING! Thanks for reading and stay tuned! Btw, feel free to leave in your review or to pm if you have any ideas for the next chapter :)**


	3. Rick Daniels

**AN: Hey everyone! Again, a huge, huge, HUGE thank you to everyone who followed, faved or reviewed this story. I tried to update this story as soon as possible. I know that you all must be wondering what will be happening to Maya, and this chapter will answer your thoughts. I'm hoping to write and update new chapters quickly for this story. Thanks for reading and here's chapter 3!**

**Disclaimer**:** Do you really think that I own all of this? Probably not. Just the story :)**

Riley couldn't eat. She mixed her cold spaghetti around with her fork but never attempted to put it in her mouth. Nobody in the Matthews family said a word during supper.

"Honey, you have to eat," Topanga finally said, resting her hand on her daughter's. "You always love my spaghetti and meatballs! You know that I made them just for you!"

"Not hungry," mumbled Riley, pushing her plate away from her.

Auggie stood up, walking over to Riley. "Awe, do you have a tummy-ache?" he asked, wrapping his arm around his big sister's neck.

Riley shrugged. "Not exactly, Auggie," she said. "I'm just not hungry."

"It's about Maya, isn't it," asked Cory, who was also deeply concerned for Maya. As much as he didn't want to, he had to eat his dinner for Riley's sake.

"Yea," she muttered, sluggishly laying her head on her fist. "She didn't call or text me all day. I'm really worried about her."

Topanga glanced at Cory, sympathetic for Riley. "You have to tell her," she mouthed. Cory nodded as he felt his eyes beginning to tear up once more.

"Hey, Auggie," Topanga said, making a bargain with her son. "I'll give you a cookie later if you let us talk to Riley alone."

Auggie groaned. "Ugh, fine," he pouted, storming back to his room.

As soon as he heard Auggie's bedroom door close, Cory directed Riley over to the couch. "We need to talk to you," he said, his tone nervous and serious.

"Oh, no," said Riley, sensing that something was terribly wrong. "What is it?"

"Well, we have good news and bad news," said Topanga, sitting next to Riley and taking her hand.

Cory took a deep breath, unsure of how this conversation would play out.

"The good news is that I reported Ms. Hart, and that I just got a call saying that they made an arrest," he managed to say. That was only the easy part.

Riley gave a small smile, happy that Ms. Hart taken care of but also knew that something horrible was about to come out of her parent's mouths.

"That's good," she softly replied. "But what about Maya?"

Topanga pursed her lips. "Honey, that's the bad news," she choked, holding back tears.

Riley's eyes widened. "What happened to her?" she asked worriedly.

"I'm sorry, Riley," Cory said, having difficulties breaking the unfortunate news to his sensitive daughter. "But she's gone."

_Gone? No, she can't be gone_, Riley thought to herself.

"What do you mean, _'she's gone_'?" she snarled angrily, jumping to her feet. Tears flooded to Riley's eyes even though she couldn't understand what was going on.

Topanga stood up and tightly hugged her daughter, trying to reassure her that everything would be alright.

"Sweetheart, she'll be fine," she cooed, letting her daughter cry onto her shoulder.

"What happened to her?" Riley sobbed, feeling her mother soothingly rubbing the top of her head.

Cory was overcome by the typical anxiety of being a father for both Riley and Maya. For Riley, he was unsure of how to try to calm her down while dealing with the hard reality of what was happening in her best friend's life. As for Maya, he was stressed out about where she was and how he wasn't there to save her.

"The police said that she's no where to be found," said Cory, turning away so his daughter wouldn't have to see him cry. "She probably ran away. But I know Maya really well, Riley. She'll be back."

"And what if she won't?" cried Riley, hopelessly throwing her hands in the air.

Topanga kissed the top of Riley's head. "Honey, we can't be so certain about that," she said honestly. "But one thing's for sure. Maya's mom can't hurt her anymore."

"I know," wept Riley. "Do you really think that she'll come back?"

Cory nodded, although voices in his head told him otherwise. What if they'd seen the last of Maya? What if she'd run off and something terrible would happen to her? Of course the police were out searching for her, but there's only so much that they could do. Then the most hard-hitting question struck him. Was Maya even alive?

He shook his head, trying to eliminate all of his doubts. Of course Maya was still alive! She just had to be. She was only gone for what, less than 9 hours? There was no way that Maya was dead, but Cory knew that it was possible that she could be in serious danger.

"Yea, Riles," he lied emotionlessly. "I think she will."

But Riley couldn't help but be scared out of her mind for Maya. She could understand why her friend ran away, but she couldn't understand why Maya didn't just run to her. Didn't she realize that Riley would be there to console her and help her to push through all of her troubles?

"It isn't fair," sobbed Riley, clinging to her mother very tightly. "Why did this happen to her?"

Topanga shrugged. "It was her own decision," she explained. "I guess that her mom was about to hurt her badly, or she just couldn't take the abuse anymore. But I want you realize how lucky you are, okay?"

"I know," bawled Riley. She was lucky. All her life, she had taken every wonderful thing that came to her for granted until that moment. "I guess I learned it the hard way."

_No, this isn't happening,_ Riley tried to reassure herself. This is just a dream. _Soon, I'll wake up and Maya will be here in five minutes_. She pinched herself as hard as she could and began clawing at her face, trying to escape this awful nightmare.

But she didn't wake up. Riley opened her eyes to see her parents trying to calm her down.

"Riley, Riley, shhhh," consoled Topanga. "Honey, I know that this must be hard, but you'll make it through."

"No, I won't!" screeched Riley. "This is a dream! This is all just a dream!"

Cory finally let his tears fall from his eyes while watching his daughter storm back to her room hysterical crying.

"Baby, don't cry," said Topanga, wrapping her arms around her husband's neck. "Riley will be okay."

"No, she won't," argued Cory. "The only thing that'll put her at ease is if Maya's safe, which I know isn't true."

Topanga frowned, understanding that Cory was right. Riley would never stop crying unless she had her best friend by her side. There wasn't really anything that anyone there could do but hope for the best.

Cory stood up, starting for Riley's bedroom. "I'm going to talk to her," he stated, but his wife jumped in front of him, blocking his way.

"No, you're not," she told him. "Riley needs time alone. Don't worry, she'll come out eventually, kay?"

"Okay," sighed Cory, taking a deep breath. "I'll, uh, I'll call the police and see if they had any luck finding Maya."

* * *

After two hours of heavily sobbing into her pillow, Riley finally realized that shutting herself in her bedroom wouldn't make anything any better. She reluctantly opened her door and slowly walked over to the kitchen by her mother.

"Hey, babe, I was just gonna call you over here. I made you something," said Topanga, serving Riley a vanilla ice-cream sundae with hot fudge, whipped cream and m&ms on top. She was trying her best to help Riley make it through this tough time of fear and uncertainty. Even as a mother, she couldn't imagine how overwhelming and traumatizing this must have been for a twelve-year-old to handle.

"Thanks, mom," sniffed Riley, managing not to cry. She deeply appreciated the ice-cream, but that was nothing to her compared to what happened to Maya. "Y-you didn't hear an-anything, d-did you?"

Topanga sorrowfully shook her head. "I'm sorry, but we didn't. Your father called the police for an update as soon as you went to your room, but they said that they didn't find her yet."

Riley involuntarily let a tear slide down her cheek as she took a scoop of her sundae.

"Where is he?" she asked, noticing that Cory was no where to be seen.

"Well, he apparently doesn't trust the police," Topanga explained. "He went off to look for Maya himself. He said that if he didn't find her, he would be home by 11:30."

Riley sat there, stunned. "Wow," she let slip. "He doesn't have to do that."

Topanga smiled. "Yes he does," she insisted. "He's doing it for you, but he's also doing it for Maya."

"But, he doesn't really like... Well, he and Maya are... He doesn't like Maya that much," Riley said, having difficulty with her word choice. "You know that."

"No," Topanga said, taking a bite out of Riley's ice cream. "He loves Maya. And now more than ever. But of course, she is an... She's an_ interesting child_. That's why she sometimes aggravates him."

Riley laughed for the first time all day since Katy came home to pick Maya up. As much as she lover her friend, she had to admit that Maya _was_ an interesting child.

"I'm sorry for getting so upset before," sighed Riley, drifting back into her sadness. "It's just that-"

"I understand," Topanga said, cutting off Riley. She didn't want to make her daughter feel uncomfortable or upset any longer.

"Why don't we go watch TV?" she asked, changing the subject. "Sure," responded Riley gloomily, slouching over to the couch.

As soon as she turned on the television, memories pertaining to Maya came flooding back to her.

A football game came on; the New York Giants verse the New England Patriots. Maya loved the Giants. Riley changed the channel because she couldn't bear to be reminded of her best friend (and she also had no interest in watching football).

On the next channel was a rerun of Full House. Riley sighed- she and Maya loved watching this show.

Riley flipped the channel to see none other than her and Maya's number-one favorite movie, Mean Girls. She couldn't help but start crying, worried sick for her best friend.

She presumed that switching to the news wouldn't bring back any memories, but Riley was terribly wrong.

"Maya has been missing ever since 10:30 when her mother, Katherine, had been arrested due to drug, alchohol and child abuse."

Seeing Maya's picture on her television with a caption reading "MISSING" made Riley throw her slipper at the screen. She couldn't stay awake knowing that her best friend was in great danger.

"I'm going to bed," said Riley angrily, not wanting to deal with any other recollection of her relationship with Maya. The relationship that may have been slipping away from them.

"Are you sure, hon?" asked Topanga with a frown on her face. She'd never seen her daughter act like this before.

Riley huffed, putting her hands on her hips. She wanted to make it clear that she was extremely agitated. "Yes, okay?" she shouted. "Stop being so nice, Mom! Quit trying, because you'll never, ever make me feel better. Never! Now, goodnight!"

Topanga stared blankly ahead of her as Riley darted to her room and slammed the door. "Well, sweet dreams," she said softly, praying that Maya would be found soon.

* * *

Maya's stomach growled and she shivered from the cold, night air. She regained her physical control but she was still emotionally unstable. Tears trickled down her cheeks as she debated what she should do with herself next.

She had nothing to eat since breakfast and a denim jacket could only help warm her up so much in the cold New York winter. Although she was very reluctant about it, she knew where she had to go.

Back to the Matthews' apartment.

The twelve year old wiped away her tears as she made her way to the nearest subway station. She had no idea where she was, but she knew that she would soon be with Riley, safe and sound before sunrise.

No one was outside and Maya was getting a bad feeling about that neighborhood. She was the only person around and it was very late into the night. The hair on her arms stood up as she heard a menacing voice from behind her.

"Maya. It's been a while."

Maya turned around to see none other than her mom's boyfriend, Rick Daniels standing before her.

"R-Rick," she stuttered, prudently backing away from him. She could practically smell danger in the atmosphere and knew that this wouldn't end good.

"Maya, what's wrong?" he asked, acting oblivious to why she was so cautious.

Maya gulped heavily before asking, "W-w-w-what, what do you want?"

Rick shrugged before taking a step closer to Maya. "Nothing, I was just strolling along and found you here," he answered casually. "Look, I'm so sorry about your mom, I had no idea. Come here."

He stretched his arms wide to give Maya a hug, but she refused to go near him. She knew what was going on.

"I'm sorry," she swallowed, her heart rate increasing. "But I just can't trust you."

"Yes, you can," Rick argued, grabbing Maya's hand.

Maya tried to run away, but Rick wouldn't let go. "Leave me alone," she squealed, making an effort to pull her hand back. "What do you want?"

Rick laughed, revealing evilness to his tone. "Oh, I guess that I'll just tell you now," he chuckled. "You'd find out either way."

Maya gasped as she felt a yank at her arm and was pulled closer to her mother's boyfriend, now forehead to forehead with him.

"I knew all along," he whispered. "Your mom called me earlier, telling me that you stormed out. She said that she would be arrested for this so called 'abuse', so she made a request that I, well, that I take good care of you."

"No!" screamed Maya, trying to escape.

But it was no use. Rick clapped his hand over Maya's mouth and restrained her from taking off.

"Uh, uh, uh," directed Rick, picking the hopeless girl up and carrying her over to his car. "I'll finish you up real good. Your mother will be very proud of us both, now wouldn't she?"

"Help!" Maya tried to cry out, but it just came out as a muffled "mmpphh!"

She felt her hands being tied behind her back along with her feet, and she tried to scream as Rick's hand released her mouth but she was stopped when he gagged her with an old rag.

_No, this isn't happening_, Maya thought to herself before being thrown into the trunk of Rick's tiny, white Ford compact car._ Now I'll never get to the Matthew's._

**And that's it for chapter 3! In the words of Maya, please don't hurt me! I'm just warning you that some pretty bad things will be happening in a few chapters. Thanks for reading and reviewing and stay tuned for chapter 4! Btw, leave in the reviews or pm me what you'd like to see next :)**


	4. We'll Save You

**AN: Hey everyone! A huge thank you to everyone who followed, faved or (especially) reviewed the first 3 chapters. You really inspired me to continue this story. I know that a lot of you must hate me bc Maya got kidnapped :(. Sorry! Trust me, it gets happier eventually. This chapters kinda short and it's basically about Cory and Riley finding out about the kidnapping. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Yep! I own Girl Meets World... Ugh, no, I don't. I wish I did tho...**

It was a difficult morning for Riley. She was so used to Maya being at her front door by 7:00 and coming in to share breakfast with the rest of the family. She was used to riding the subway to school with her best friend, feeling the pride and confidence of becoming a teenager. In fact, Riley had always looked forward to going to school, unlike every other student at John Quincy Adams Middle School. But things were different now. Maya was gone.

Riley had been struggling to eat ever since she had last seen Maya. She felt nauseous just looking at the oatmeal that her mother had made for breakfast.

"Mom, I'm really not hungry," she said, pushing the bowl of mushy and overcooked food away from her. "I'm sorry."

It broke Topanga's heart that her daughter wouldn't even eat because of Maya's disappearance. "Honey, you have to eat," she said, placing the bowl back in front of Riley.

"No, Mom," protested. "I'm seriously fine. Either way, food would only keep me alive."

Topanga sighed. "C'mon, sweetheart, you always say that whenever something bad happens," she said, rubbing her daughter's back. "I know that you don't mean it."

Riley rolled her eyes. "This is totally different," she mumbled. "I've been a terrible friend."

"No, that's not true," Topanga said consolingly. "You've only been a terrific friend. And you still are."

Shrugging, the twelve-year-old reluctantly took a spoonful of oatmeal, trying to appease her mother.

"I made a huge deal out of all of my petty little problems while she didn't even mention hers, which were a trillion times more serious than mine," admitted Riley. "And worst of all, after all of these years I could never realize. A real friend would have noticed immediately. I was never there for her."

A few tears slid down her cheeks as she finished her statement, meaning every single word. She had been an awful friend to Maya.

"But there was nothing that you could have done," choked Topanga, her eyes glossy with tears."You don't have to go to school if you don't want to."

Riley shook her head. "No, I'm going," she decided. "I have to go." She needed to be there for Maya in case the other students were making up rumors or talking badly of her.

"Alright," said Topanga, knowing better than to argue with her daughter. "But if you decide that you want to come home, just know that your dad will-"

"I know," finished Riley. "But I won't change my mind."

"Riley, are you ready?" asked Cory as he came out of his room, fastening his tie and grabbing his briefcase. "We don't wanna be late." He decided that he should stop acting so distressed around his daughter and try not to mention anything about Maya, knowing that it'll only sadden her more.

Riley sighed. It was strange to be riding the subway to school with her dad since she was so used to spending almost every minute of her life with Maya.

"Yeah," she muttered, taking one last bite out of her breakfast. "Let's go."

Auggie woke up, groggily making his way into the kitchen. As usual, he was wearing his Mr. Googly pajamas and clutching his Mr. Googly doll.

"Riley, where's Maya? I thought she always picked you up at seven," he yawned, unsure of what happened. Even if Maya was sick, she would still be there.

Topanga bit her lip, knowing that her son shouldn't have said that. "Uh, Auggie, we'll have a little talk about this after Daddy and Ry-Ry go to school, okay?" she said nervously.

"Okay, Mommy," said Auggie innocently. "Bye, guys!"

"Bye," said Riley sluggishly as she grabbed her backpack and trudged over to the door.

"Have a good day," called Topanga, serving Auggie his breakfast.

"We'll try," responded Cory as he kissed his wife goodbye and joined Riley on their way to school.

* * *

"Oh my god," was Lucas's response once Riley told him about what happened to Maya. "That's just... Wow. I'm so sorry, Riley."

Riley gave a small smile as she dug through her locker to find her history books. "Thanks," she replied softly. She couldn't say '_it's alright_' or '_I'm okay_' because neither of those were true. Riley was lost without Maya.

"Riley! Lucas!" Farkle ran through the hallway after spotting his friends. "Where's Maya?"

Lucas and Riley exchanged worried looks, unsure of how to break the unfortunate news.

"You don't know anything about what happened to Maya this weekend?" Riley asked in a shocked and serious tone.

Farkle's eyes widened with concern, knowing that something terrible must have occurred. "No," he said. "What?"

Riley bit her lip and took a deep breath. "Farkle, no one knows where Maya is," she said calmly, trying not to freak out and start bawling like she had done all weekend. "We think that she ran away from home."

"Why would she do that? Was she worried that I was just too hard to get?" Farkle gasped, hoping that his mocking predictions were correct.

Lucas rolled his eyes. "No, Farkle," he said, emphasizing that he was aggravated. "It's because she was abused at home."

Farkle gulped heavily as he took in all of the sudden news. So one of his best friends was dealing with the struggles of an abusive home life all of that time and was currently missing. Was there something that he could have done to prevent her from leaving?

"Oh," he sighed softly. "For the first time in... Well, in my life, I'm... I'm speechless."

Riley just gave a slight smile and took a deep breath. She felt very uncomfortable, seeing through the corner of her eye that every student who passed by was gawking at her. They knew that Riley must have known practically every detail of what happened.

"We should get to class," Riley moped as she slowly closed her locker. "History, right?"

"Yep," Lucas nodded, doing something that changed Riley's face from pale and emotionless to beet red.

He wrapped his arm around her.

Riley could practically hear her heart thumping in her chest. Excitement rushed through her veins and it took all of her might to stop herself from screaming. Her palms began to sweat and her toes started curling, but all of a sudden she lost all of her energy.

Maya would laugh or make up some corny joke about her being in love with '_Texas Boy_.' Although Riley had no one to stop Lucas from being too embarrassed to continue holding her, it didn't seem right. Nothing seemed right anymore.

The three walked into Cory's room just as the first period bell rang and every other student in the class ran up to Riley, much to her expectations and dismay.

"What happened to Maya?" "Tell me exactly what happened to her!" "Is it true that she was shot by her mother?" "Is she still alive?" "Why did she run away?" Riley fought back tears that should have been rolling down her cheeks while hearing these words.

"And why do you all care?"

Riley groaned, turning around to see only one person still sitting at her desk who obviously didn't even care.

"Missy, don't start," Lucas mumbled, pushing his way through the mob of people attacking Riley with questions.

Missy laughed. "Ooh, very intimidating," she teased. "Now everyone stop bothering Riley about someone as stupid as Maya. You're holding up Mr. Matthews's class."

Seeing that the students were getting out of hand, Cory needed to break everyone up. He knew that Riley would break down if she heard one more pestering question or another heartless comment from Missy.

"Okay, class. That's enough," he said, calming everyone down as they scurried back to their seats.

He took a deep breath, feeling the need to clarify the tragic situation pertaining to Maya's disappearance which wasn't even clear to him yet.

"As you can see, Miss Hart is-isn't with, w-with us today," he choked. The last thing that he needed was for his entire class to see him crying.

Cory closed his eyes very tightly as he took a moment to redeem his self-control.

"And you all probably know that she's gone missing over the weekend," he stated, knuckling his eye.

"I know that most of you are worried and traumatized by this, due to the fact that she's your classmate and friend. You probably expect me to give you a speech on how everything will be alright and that she's fine, but that's not the case. You're all growing up now, and part of that is hearing the truth."

Before he could finish, Riley stood up, tears flooding to her eyes.

"What is it, Dad?" she managed to say without bawling. "You told me that she would come back! You told me that she was fine!"

Cory felt his heart breaking, realizing that his daughter needed to know the truth. As much as he tried to deny it, Maya was not safe. He didn't know what was happening to her, but a voice inside of his head was telling him that it was awful.

"And who cares?" said a snotty voice from the right-hand side of the classroom. "Im glad that bitch, I mean that girl is gone."

"Shut up, Missy," complained Riley, sitting back in her seat. She couldn't take hearing Missy's uncaring remarks anymore.

Missy laughed. "Like I'm going to listen to you," she scoffed. "Excuse me, Mr. Matthews, but I just need to say something. If you guys really cared about Mia-"

"Maya," interrupted Riley, rolling her eyes.

"Thanks," Missy smirked. "Anyway, if you guys really cared about her and she cared about you, maybe she wouldn't have ran away. Did that ever come across your minds?"

Cory began to lose his patience with Missy. "That's enough," he growled, slamming his book down onto his desk. "Look, some of you know what's been going on in Maya's life, some of you don't."

"Yeah, she takes arguments with her mom too seriously," Missy mumbled under her breath.

"I want to be excused," Riley blurted out, sick and tired of Missy's false assumptions.

Cory sighed. "Are you sure?" he asked. He knew that Missy wouldn't quit trying to get under his skin and knew that Riley would do a better job at defending Maya.

"Okay," Riley pouted, blowing a strand of hair away from her face.

"Well, you all know what child abuse is," continued Cory. "And unfortunately, that's what Maya has been dealing with. Her mom was arrested, but the police didn't arrive in time to stop Maya from leaving. So stop it with making up rumors or stories that aren't true."

Missy sighed, leaning back into her seat. "I'm sorry, but I have one last question," she said. "Did you even call her?"

Riley bit her cheek, feeling defeated. She didn't call Maya since she found out that she was missing.

"Well, no," she admitted, slouching back against her chair.

Missy gasped mockingly, pressing her hand onto her mouth.

"You mean to tell me that you didn't call her?" she asked. "Well, then. Call her now!"

Cory put his hands on his hips, truly infuriated and embarrassed. "Riley, don't," he said as he saw his daughter rummaging through her backpack for her phone.

"No, Dad," Riley protested. "She's right. I'm calling her. What's more important, your stupid class on George Washington or Maya's potential safety?"

"Go ahead," Cory sighed, dreading the outcome of this call.

"And put it on speaker," added Missy. "I want to hear what she says."

Riley took a deep breath before finally making the call. _She won't answer_, she thought to herself as her heart began beating rapidly in her chest. _Please do, Maya, please do!_

The phone rang three times before someone finally answered.

"Hello, Riley Matthews," said a deep and manly voice from the other end of the line, startling the class. They expected to hear a twelve year old girl; not a grown man.

"M-Maya?" Riley asked, shaken up by the man's voice.

The man evilly laughed and the whole class immediately knew what was going on. "Oh, you expected Maya to answer," he chuckled. "Well, she can't talk right now. You might even say that she's tied up!"

Riley gulped heavily. Her worst nightmares were coming true.

"Where is she?" Cory asked sternly, his muscles tensed. "Let her go!"

The whole class froze as they heard muffled cries from the background, assuming that they were coming from Maya.

"D-dad-daddy," Riley cried, her voice trembling. She ran over to Cory and clutched his arm before building the confidence to speak to the unidentified man speaking on Maya's phone.

"Let me talk to her," Riley begged. She heard the sound of duct tape being ripped followed by heavy sobs and deep breaths.

"Riley!" cried a girl from the other end of the line, seeming to be terrified and distressed.

"Maya!" swallowed Riley, letting tears stream down her cheeks. "You have to tell me where you are!"

"I... I d-don't know!" sniffed Maya.

Cory's hand was shaking as he violently tore his daughter's phone from her hands. "What do you mean, you '_don't know_'?" he barked.

"I don't know!" bawled Maya before the class winced from a piercing scream. "P-please, don't hurt me! Mr. Matthews, Riley, somebody! _Save me_!"

"Maya!" a couple of students gasped in unison, including Riley, Lucas and Farkle.

Cory's heart stopped for a second. Maya's cries and pleads for him to save her broke his heart. He now knew that it was unlikely that he would see her again alive but he also didn't want to let her down. He couldn't disappoint her.

The man's unpleasant voice reappeared, frightening the class.

"I won't tell you where we are," he said. "But we're no where near New York City, I'll tell you that. Call again, and she dies. But that won't be such a bad thing. It'll save her from constant suffering."

Before Cory could open his mouth, Riley's phone began beeping, indicating that the call was over.

The class was speechless. Maya didn't just run away- she was kidnapped. Although it completely clarified all of their uncertainties, it scared them even more. What would happen to her? All of her life she had been hurting. She deserved happiness, but instead she got taken away. And there was nothing that anyone could really do.

Guilt rushed through Cory's veins, feeling that it was his fault that Maya got kidnapped. If he had refused to send her home to her mother on Saturday morning, she would have never ran away. She would have never gotten into that much trouble.

He had to somehow punish Missy. She not only pressured Riley into the phone call, but she also said terrible things about Maya before that. It may seem unreasonable to detent or suspend someone for talking badly about someone, but she was mocking someone's safety.

"Missy, detention for a week," He mumbled, his eyes watering. "And Riley, go get your things. You're excused for the rest of the day." He couldn't let Riley sit in school all day knowing that her best friend was kidnapped.

"What did I do wrong?" gasped Missy. "It was Maya's fault that this happened to her!"

Cory lost his temper. "LISTEN TO ME! YOU TALK BACK TO ME ONE MORE TIME AND YOU HAVE DETENTION FOR A MONTH, OKAY?" he yelled, shocking the class. He never, ever shouted like that at a student.

"Fine," Missy sighed, folding her arms.

Riley looked over to Lucas, who mouthed "I'm so sorry." She tried to smile back, but she didn't have it in her to show any happiness. The only thing that she could really do was cry.

"Dad, I-" Riley wept silently, but her father cut her off.

"Riley, I told you to go," Cory said, directing her to the door. "I'll text your mother, and you go tell the principal that Maya was... That she was kidnapped."

Sighing, Riley left the room and slowly closed the door. She wiped the tears away from her eyes, not even having enough energy to start bawling. Her best friend was gone.

"We'll save you, Maya," she whispered as a tear trickled down her cheek. "We won't let him kill you."

**Sorry, I know that this chapter was short. I promise that I'll try to make them longer in the future. Oh, and if you have any suggestions, feel free to pm me or leave it in the reviews. Will Maya be rescued by the Matthews family or will it be too late? We'll see... Anyway, thanks for reading and reviewing! :)**


	5. The Truth Hurts

**AN: Hey everyone! Another HUGE thanks to all of the reviewers! All of the positive feedback really influences me to continue and it means so much to me. A lot of you left in the reviews or private messages me that you really hated Missy in the last chapter, but she gets worse. Sorry, Maya won't be in this chapter :( I can't wait for the chapter when I let her get rescued. But anyway, here's chapter 5! Enjoy! :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Girl Meets World**

"Two weeks," Riley sighed as she sat down next to Lucas during their lunch period. "It's been two weeks since we found out that Maya was, well... You know."

Lucas bit his lip, still recovering from Maya's sudden disappearance. He knew that he may get over it eventually, but Riley would never be repaired. Unless her best friend was safe and sound, she would remain broken.

"Yeah," he muttered, knowing that he would once mor spend his entire lunch putting up with Riley's mopes and complaints. "A _long_ two weeks."

"Lucas," Riley said softy, twiddling her thumbs under the table. "Thank you for being so supportive. I know that I've been... Overly emotional lately."

Lucas smiled. "Nah, it's no problem," he said. "I totally get it. In fact, it's my pleasure trying to comfort you."

Riley gave a half smile. "So you're enjoying not having Maya around?" she asked sarcastically, although she felt terrible using that in a mocking way.

"I didn't mean it like that," Lucas defended. "It sucks. Everything's different without her."

"You can say that again," Riley mumbled, slipping back into her unhappiness. "You know, my parents are really worried about me. They think that I'm suffering from depression or something."

Lucas shrugged, taking a bite out of his sandwich. "I think that they're right," he said. "You aren't yourself. You've never joke around anymore, you've never been your quirky self and you almost never smile. You're also not eating as much anymore."

"But why should I?" protested Riley. "My parents can deny it all they want but it's clearly all my fault that Maya got kidnapped."

"C'mon, everyone thinks that it's their own fault. Like the police, the principal, the teachers, your dad, and especially you," said Lucas. "You gotta lighten up. You can't live the rest of your life down in the dumps."

Riley had difficulty as swallowed hard, taking in what Lucas just said. "I won't," she said under her breath. "Because I won't have to. She's fine. She's going to get rescued, I just know it."

"If you say so," said Lucas. "I just don't want to to be so positive about that. You'll be disappointed with whatever happens. All that I know is that either way, she's not fine."

"Yeah," Riley said as a tear trickled down her cheek. "You're right."

Lucas placed his hand on Riley's cheek and used his thumb to wipe away her tears. "I'm here for you," he whispered, fighting back tears. "We all are."

"Thanks," Riley whispered back, taking a sip of her iced tea. "I need someone like you right now."

Before she realized what she was doing, Riley threw her arms around Lucas's neck. "I need you," she sobbed into his shoulder, comforted by the warmth of his embrace.

"I know you do," Lucas said when Riley pulled away. "That's why I'm here."

Riley sniffled and then changed the subject, trying to take her mind off of the pain. "So..." she said. "Where's Farkle?"

"There he is. FARKLE!" called Lucas, seeing that their friend was roaming around the lunchroom, searching for a place to sit.

As Farkle began making his way to the table where Riley and Lucas sat, an idea sparked to his mind on how they could rescue Maya.

_Hmm, this could really work_, he thought to himself. _Why didn't I think of this before?_

"Riley!" he exclaimed as he ran over to his friend. "I have a suggestion! It's genius!"

Riley shrugged, feeling positive that nothing that even Farkle could think of would be enough to rescue Maya. The police did everything that they could have done, and it was also pretty much impossible for a twelve-year-old to have better ideas than them.

"What is it?" she asked. "No offense, but whatever it is, I doubt that it'll work."

Farkle had a grin stretching from ear to ear and awkwardly leaned in closer to Riley. "Picture this," he said dramatically. "We can track Maya down with the GPS on her phone! Huh, huh? Isn't that just brilliant?"

Lucas smiled and nudged Riley in the arm. "Yeah, that's actually really smart!" he agreed. "Right, Riley?"

Riley groaned, knowing that Farkle's plan just wouldn't work; her dad had already tried it over 20 times.

"Not really," she mumbled, massaging her temples as she tried to reduce her stress. "We tried that already, but it somehow didn't work. The person wh-who, well... You know, kidnapped Maya, he probably did something to her phone settings to turn it off or something. But thanks anyway, Farkle."

Farkle nodded, but inside he felt ashamed. It really was an intelligent plan, but Maya's captor was really determined to hide her for as long as he could, putting her through hell. All that Farkle wanted, like everyone else, was to save Maya and put an end to all of her suffering.

"Then it's hopeless," he admitted, obviously forgetting about how Riley would react to his negative comments. "We have the slightest chance of finding her, and half of that is the possibility of her being alive when we do."

"That's not true," Riley argued, jumping out of her seat. "It probably won't be us, but she's gonna be found by someone! She'll be alright! She's gotta be alright!"

Lucas took a deep breath and took Riley's hand, trying to calm her down. "Okay, Riley, relax," he hushed.

Riley ripped back her hand, to angry to let anyone, not even Lucas to console her.

"No!" she shrieked. "I can't believe that you guys don't have any faith left!"

"Fine," sighed Lucas. "She'll be found, okay? I know she will. But calm down."

Taking a heavy breath, Riley reluctantly sat down. "Okay," she said, relaxing her tensed muscles. "I'm... Sorry. I'm sorry I freaked out."

Farkle smiled, patting Riley on the back. "It's alright," he said. "I know it must be very traumatizing and difficult for you and your family."

"Totally," whispered Riley, drying her teary eyes. "I'm so scared."

Just as Lucas was about to comfortingly wrap his arm around Riley, he was interrupted by the most obnoxious and arrogant voice in the seventh grade.

"Aren't we all?"

The three unwillingly turned around to see none other than Missy Bradford, hand in hand with Brett Hale.

"Brett?" Riley gasped in shock. "What are you doing with-with her?"

Missy laughed, resting her head on Brett's shoulder. "Haven't you heard?" she smirked. "Brett and I are, well, a thing now."

Riley's eyes widened, feeling her heart sinking into her stomach. "What? No, no, no, Brett, you're with Maya!"

Brett shrugged, smiling at Missy. "Well, it was just one innocent invite to Starbucks. It wasn't official or anything. Besides, I'm rather content with Missy now."

"What's wrong, Riles?" Missy said in a mock-concerned tone. "Are we bothering you?'

Riley gave a slight laugh, pulling Brett aside. "Can I talk to you? Alone?" she asked as her eyebrows furrowed in disapproval.

"Talk to him, but don't get any ideas, Matthews," Missy warned before hopping on line to get her lunch.

"What do _you_ want?" asked Brett, rolling his eyes. He knew exactly what Riley would say; that he shouldn't be going out with Missy.

Riley raised an eyebrow, seeing a totally different side to him. He went straight from the sweet and charming new student to a nasty and backstabbing jerk.

"What about Maya?" she asked, tears flooding to her eyes. "I thought that-"

"You know what, Riley? I don't wanna hear it," interrupted Brett, folding his arms. "Maya's gone, and I may never see her again. I've decided to move on. Besides, what's there to move on from? Maya and I were never dating or anything."

Riley threw her hands on her hips, trying to think of a strong enough argument. "Ugh, are you so desperate that you have to be with the school slut? I'm not sure if you're desperate for a girlfriend or desperate for popularity, but either way Missy isn't the right choice," she stated.

Brett shrugged. "Um, I'm not so sure about that," he fought. "Missy actually saved me from Maya. I mean, I wouldn't want to date someone who sets off the fire alarms at school, plots a 'homework rebellion', walks out of class and basically lives in detention. I'm kinda glad that she's gone."

"She was always getting into trouble because no one in her family ever cared about her!" cried Riley, throwing her hands in the air and letting them fall to her sides out of aggravation. "Do you realize that she's been abused at home? Like, really badly! And you're just an awful, awful person to be happy that someone got kidnapped!"

Sighing, Brett looked down. "Look, I know that she was abused." he admitted. "And I feel terrible. But she has a lot of problems that I don't want to have. Plus, of she somehow does get found and comes back here, I guarantee that she'll have tons more issues."

"What do you mean?" asked Riley, fearing what Brett was going to say next.

"Well..." Brett started, unsure of how to explain this to Riley. "Who knows what's happening to her right now? I can only guess that..."

Riley bit her lip. "W-what?" she stammered.

Brett took a deep breath. "Riley, you're too innocent to hear this okay? I'm just saying that it's possible that...that Maya won't be, well, she won't be a virgin when she comes back."

"That won't happen!" insisted Riley, clenching her fists. She shuddered at the thought of her best friend, her favorite person in the world, the girl who was practically her sister experiencing rape. "No, don't even think like that!"

"I dunno," Brett sighed.

"And that's why you don't wanna go out with her?" Riley yelled, catching the attention of the entire lunchroom. "That would only be a reason to continue standing by her!"

Getting frustrated, Brett slammed his fist down on the table next to him. "Give up, Riley!" he yelled. "Get over it! I'm with Missy now and there's nothing that you can do about it, okay? Now I'll have a drama-free relationship! Leave me alone?"

"But Brett," Riley wept before Missy returned with her lunch and a smirk on her face.

"How's it going?" she giggled, locking arms with Brett. "Riley, did Brettie tell you about the movie that we saw over the weekend?"

Riley raised her eyebrows and rolled her eyes. "No, 'Brettie'. What movie?"

"Oh, I forgot," Missy said, instigating Riley's anger. "We were to busy, ya know. Making out."

Riley felt sick to her stomach as she saw Missy lean in to give Brett a quick peck on the lips.

"You traitor," she growled at Brett as her nostrils began flaring. "And I guess that I'm betraying Maya too, letting you do this. You're nothing but a jerk who was uncool in Staten Island so you'll do anything to be popular in Manhattan!"

Missy laughed, turning away. "Whatever you say, Matthews," she smirked. "Whatever you say."

Fuming, Riley returned to her seat next to Lucas and Farkle. Her face was beet red and she was shaking from head toe.

"How'd it... go?" asked Lucas, assuming by the looks on Riley's face that it didn't turn out as they'd hope.

"What do you think?" groaned Riley, biting her cheek awfully hard.

Farkle shrugged. "I dunno, but I'm guessing not too good," he inferred.

"He said that he's glad that Maya's gone," Riley let slip, choking back tears. "That now he can have a drama-free relationship."

Lucas raised an eyebrow. "A drama-free relationship? If that's what he wants, he should dump Missy already!"

"I know," Riley said. "But there's nothing that I could do. I don't control who he dates. And he and Maya weren't really boyfriend and girlfriend anyway."

"But that's terrible that he's happy that a person got taken away against their will," Farkle added. "Who even says that?"

Riley huffed, trying to release all of her anger and anxiety. "Apparently he does," she muttered.

"What else did he say?" asked Lucas curiously. He needed to know every little detail about the conversation before he could beat Brett up.

"He said th-that Maya, that she would..." Riley struggled to say.

"She would what?" asked Farkle obliviously. "Would... Get beat up badly?"

Riley's eyes widened and nodded. "Yep," she whispered. "And Brett thinks that sh-she's gonna... Ugh, that she's gonna get raped!"

She expected Lucas and Farkle to sit there, speechless and in shock, but they were the exact opposite.

"Yeah, that's what I'm thinking, too," Lucas mumbled, avoiding eye contact with Riley. "I didn't want to say anything."

Riley sighed. "I hope that it won't happen, though," she gulped. "Maya doesn't deserve that."

Farkle laid his hand on Riley's shoulder. "She never deserved anything that happened to her. She lives a very unfortunate lifestyle, you know."

"But maybe she won't, you know. Maybe she isn't getting raped. We have to be positive," Riley said, trying to look at the bright side.

"Aw, Riley, that is positive," Missy said from behind her. "And I heard everything that you said about _my_ Brettie."

Riley stood up, nose to nose with her nemesis. "Shut up," she demanded. "No one wants you here."

Missy made an fake, innocent, puppy dog face. "Oh, but I just came to ask you a question," she pouted.

"What is it?" snarled Riley, backing away. She folded her arms, knowing that whatever was coming out of Missy's mouth was going to be nasty.

Smiling, Missy placed her hands on her hips. "So," she said, raising her eyebrows. "What are you gonna name Maya's baby when she comes back?"

Anger took over Riley's body. She couldn't just stand there and take someone mocking something so serious and important to hr. Clenching her fists and curling her toes, she waited until Missy turned away and began walking back to '_her Brettie_.'

_BAM_!

The entire cafeteria looked over to see the shocking scene of Riley hopping on Missy's back, strangling her.

"Get- off- of- me!" shrieked Missy, now pinning Riley onto the floor. Out of pure adrenaline, Riley was able to push Missy off of her and kick her in the shins 3 times.

"Bitch!" growled Riley. Her mouth was uncomfortable saying a curse word for the first time, but at the spur of the moment she didn't even care.

Missy pressed Riley against the wall and scratched her face, causing the girl to bleed. "Say that to your mirror, honey," she said said through gritted teeth.

Riley yanked Missy's cheaply straightened hair as hard as she could, forgetting the punishments she'd receive for this fight.

"Ouch!" yelped Missy, punching Riley in the face. "Get the fuck off of me!"

Before Riley could go after Missy again, she felt someone much older and stronger restraining her from doing so.

"Daddy, get off of me!" she begged, trying her best to get herself free from Cory's grasp as another teacher tried to calm Missy down.

"Mr. Matthews, I can explain!" cried Missy, shooting a dirty look at Riley.

Cory gulped, trusting that Missy must have done or said something awful to make his daughter act up like that.

"You can both explain during detention," he ordered. "The two of you, to the principal's office. Right now!"

Riley sighed, trying to ease herself down. "Daddy, I-" she started, looking down to the floor shamefully.

"I know," Cory interrupted. "Now go."

"The truth hurts," mumbled Missy before the two girls hesitantly made their way to the principal's office, expecting the worst punishment. "You're too immature to take it."

* * *

"Daddy, you believe me, don't you?" asked Riley on the subway ride home from school. "You have to!"

Cory sighed, wrapping his arm around his daughter's neck. "I believe you," he told her. "I had to punish you in school as a teacher, but as a parent I'm not disappointed at all. You stood up for your friend."

"But why did you give me detention?" Riley questioned, feeling hurt. "You knew that Missy was being awful, not me!"

"Because I'm your dad," Cory answered. "I can't show favoritism, and I also can't give Missy another reason to attack you. Correction: another reason for her to make you attack her."

Riley bit her lip. "Dad, do you know what she said?" she asked.

"No, what?" asked Cory, hoping that it wasn't too terrible.

"She said that she wanted to know what we'd name Maya's baby when she comes back," Riley answered, this time not stuttering. She was too angry to get nervous.

Cory froze. He knew that Maya would be dealing with a lot while she was kidnapped, but it never came across his mind that she may have been raped. Just thinking about that scared him.

"That's... just terrible. Why didn't you tell me that during detention?" Cory replied, staring blankly ahead of himself.

"I don't know," sighed Riley. "I guessed she would deny it anyway."

The subway stopped just where they were supposed to get off, but Cory stayed sitting. "Dad, this is our stop," Riley reminded him.

"No, you can get off," Cory said. "Unless you want to come with me to get Maya's things from her old apartment."

Riley wasn't sure if she really wanted to go to the place which Maya once called her house but never her home. "Um... I don't know," she said.

"Well, you better make up your mind now," said Cory, glancing over to the doors. "I think that you should come, but it's up to you."

Taking in a deep breath, Riley nodded and sat down again next to her father. "I'll come," she decided. "I don't know how long I can make it without crying though."

After a few stops, the two got off of the subway and made it to Maya's old apartment building.

"Only get the things that she needs or that you know that she really likes," said Cory. "When we do find her, she's going to live with us. I clarified that with the police."

Riley noticed how her father said '_when_' instead of '_if_'. He was always so positive, so definite, even when it came to the harsh realities of the subject. He would never give up.

They both swallowed hard before opening the door with the keys that Maya had left at their apartment the day she went missing. Riley's heart almost skipped a beat once she saw how ghostly and creepy the apartment was left. It was different than the last time she'd been there.

There were broken beer bottles on the floor and cracked picture frames. There was a puddle of blood in the corner and Riley felt like running out, but she wanted to be brave. She could last 12 minutes in there since Maya lasted 12 years.

"Riley," said Cory nervously. "Let's go into Maya's bedroom. Do you know where it is?"

Riley nodded, leading her father to the door. Once she opened the door and looked inside, her jaw dropped.

On the walls were the most hurtful phrases written in Katy's handwriting. Both of Riley's and Cory's hearts dropped once they read '_retarded bitch_' and '_pain in the ass_.'

Maya's bed wasn't made and it only consisted of a mattress and one thin sheet. There was only one dresser and the mirror was cracked, leaving Cory and Riley in pity for the girl whom once had slept there.

"Now I understand why she didn't want me in her room," Riley gasped under her breath, finding a bag and starting to shove the little amount of clothes that Maya owned into it.

"Who would do this to a kid?" said Cory as a tear slid down his cheek. "Especially their own kid."

Once more tearing up, Riley began running over to hug her father. "It's okay to cry," she wept as Cory rubbed her back.

"I just wanted to be brave for you," he said. "But there's no point, is there?"

Riley immediately agreed with her father. There really was no point of bottling your feelings inside. Maya would want them to move on, but she would also feel more welcomed if she knew that they were upset for her. So they cried.

"No, Daddy, there isn't," she said. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but something that Missy said was true. The truth does hurt, and a lot."

**The truth does hurt, doesn't it? Sorry, I know that this was short and some of you left it the reviews that the last one was very short, but I promise that they'll get longer. Ugh I wanted to make Riley claw Missy's eyes but I can't. Feel free to leave in the reviews what you'd like to see next. Thanks for reading and reviewing! :)**


	6. Am I Worth It?

**AN: Hey everyone! Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Wow, triple digits now :) Originally, I wasn't going to show Maya until she got rescued, but I couldn't help myself from writing a short chapter on where she would be a month later. Trust me, I hate doing this to Maya, and please continue reading no matter what happens next. Thanks, and here's chapter 6! Enjoy :)**

**Disclaimer: What do you think? I probably don't own girl meets world... I wish I did :P**

"Rick, please! Haven't you done enough?" cried Maya, earning herself a punch in the jaw from her captor. She fell to her knees, sobbing into her hands before being knocked over, having Rick pin her down to the ground.

Maya squeezed her eyes closed, fearing Rick's next move. "Don't you dare talk back to me," he growled between gritted teeth, slapping the distressed girl in the face.

Hot tears streamed from Maya's eyes as she fingered her stinging cheek. "I-I'm sorry!" she yelped before she felt two hands crawling their way up her shirt.

"No," she whimpered, trembling from her past experiences. "P-please, don't."

"A or B?" asked Rick, tightly grasping Maya's breasts and digging his sharp fingernails into them. "Answer me, bitch!"

Maya gulped heavily, trying to compose herself. "B! B, anything but A!" she pleaded. 'A' was probably the most traumatizing part about being kidnapped by Rick.

Although she was incredibly frightened by the concept of it, Maya would much rather prefer 'B', which was Rick's code word for 'beating'. She was already used to being battered at home by her mother, so it didn't really make any difference.

'A' was a completely different story. It was the worst pain that any girl had ever witnessed both emotionally and physically. She knew that it took away both her innocence and her virginity, not to mention that she would never want it from anyone. 'A' was the code word for 'rape'.

"Fine," snarled Rick, yanking Maya's hair and kicking her in the stomach. "I'll happily do B, but I'll only forget A as a present for our one month anniversary."

Clutching her stomach in pain, Maya felt her heart drop. _One month_, she thought to herself, more tears flooding to her eyes. _The worst month of my life_.

"Ow," gasped Maya, shakily trying to catch her breath. "W-why are you doing this to me?"

"Because," said Rick, pounding the bruised and bloodied girl in the eye. "I need to pay tribute to your mother. She asked me for one last favor, so I'm willingly doing it for her. The mom who you got locked up, remember?"

Swallowing hard, Maya nodded. "I-I remember," she stammered. She could clearly recall Rick explaining her mother's desires for her own daughter to continue suffering the night that she got kidnapped.

Maya was snapped out of her trance when she fell to the floor after being painfully struck on the back by a baseball bat. "Eeesh!" she cried as her cheek thumped down onto the cold, bare floor.

"Please, just leave me alone!" she implored, realizing that she had lost all of her upper body strength as she made an effort to get up.

"What did I say about talking to me like that?" yelled Rick, slamming Maya back down to the floor. "One more time and I'll give you A!"

Gulping, Maya docilely nodded. "I'm sorry," she whispered, her teary and frightened eyes looking into Rick's cold and fearsome ones. "Please don't hurt me."

"Sorry, ma'am," the captor spat harshly. "Today isn't your lucky day, now is it?" Without further ado, he stood up, kicking the twelve-year-old in the ribs 15 times.

Maya's face was wet with tears, struggling to conceal her yelps of pain. She didn't want to give Rick another reason to take the abuse to a higher level.

Rick gripped Maya's shoulders, violently lifting her up to her feet. With a smirk on his face, he released the girl to fall down to her knees again. "You know what?" he chuckled. "I'm beginning to miss A. What do you think?"

Unable to let any sound come out of her mouth, Maya only shook her head. "No, please, no," she mouthed as a tear trickled down her cheek.

"What is that?" Rick asked mockingly. "You do want it? Well, little lady, I'm more than willing to give it to you!"

"No!" shrieked Maya. No matter how many times Rick had raped her, she had never gotten used to it. Each time was as traumatizing and petrifying as the first time.

Rolling his eyes, Rick punted Maya's head brutally. "Well, thank me for being so nice today," said his sarcastic voice. He waited for a response but heard nothing but choked back and feeble weeps.

"I don't hear you, bitch!" he yelled, startling Maya. "I'm sorry!" she wept dolefully. "Th-thank you."

Rick raised his eyebrows and knelt down next to Maya, viciously cupping her face with his hand. "Ya know what?" he snapped. "You're probably the weakest thing I've ever heard of."

"Hurt me all you want," mumbled Maya, aware of the punishments she'd receive. "I don't know if it's because I'm a kid, because I'm a girl or because my mom hates me, but either way I'm a person and I shouldn't be treated like scum! Scum like you!"

Clenching his fists, Rick angrily stood up. "Did you just call me scum?" he bellowed as he cracked his knuckles intimidatingly.

"Y-yes," sputtered Maya, slightly regretting ever opening her mouth. Before she knew it, she was lifted up and slammed against the wall, suffering three punches to her mouth.

She let out a piercing cry as Rick let go of her, but this time she landed on her feet. "A-are you done y-yet?" she asked meekly as she covered her face with her hands.

Sighing heavily, Rick folded his arms. "I guess so," he said, leaving Maya relieved.

"So... You're letting me go?" Maya asked hopefully. I never know, she thought to herself. Maybe he will.

"Tck, yeah right," scoffed Rick, much to Maya's disliking. "Don't push your luck, Hart."

Maya let out a sigh of relief as Rick left the room, locking the door. Although she felt more safe, tears still uncontrollably poured down her cheeks. Her heart throbbed rapidly in her chest and she strived to calm herself down.

_It's okay_, she told herself. _He's gone_. He can't hurt you anymore today. Gingerly, she stood up and began shakily walking over to her cold and uncomfortable cot where she slept.

Plopping herself down, Maya tried to picture her life one month before when she was still in Manhattan. She was abused by her mother, she got into a lot of trouble both inside and outside of school and didn't have the best academic performance. Was her old life really worth missing?

But thinking harder back, she remembered how much she loved going to the Matthews apartment everyday before and after school. They weren't her family by blood, but they were always looking out for her and they truly did love her.

She had great friends, including Farkle, Lucas and possibly Brett. She laughed. She would even miss Farkle's pestering attempts to flirt with her and even Missy's obnoxiousness. Riley always had Maya to help her deal with that bulldozer in a pink sweater, so Maya could only imagine how difficult it must have been back at home for her.

But obviously, person whom Maya missed the most was Riley. The only thing that would help her to get through another day of rape and abuse was thinking about Riley and how happy they would both be when she would finally be found.

Every night, Maya would fall to her knees, praying to God that no matter what happened to her, she wanted Riley to be happy and not waste her entire life waiting for her best friend to come home. Although she hated to be greedy, she would also pray that someday, she might find a way to escape from the prison-like life she was experiencing.

_What would Riley think if she knew that I was being raped_, wondered Maya, shuddering at the thought. Riley was too naive, sweet and innocent to know about what was going on in Maya's life.

She knew that everyone probably found out about her kidnapping due to the phone call that Riley made trying to get ahold of Maya. Maya could remember herself bawling as Cory yelled at her to give him her location, which she was still unsure of. All of the windows were closed, but all that Maya could guess was that she was living in a remote place.

Thinking back to her relationship with Cory, Maya smiled inwardly. He was always awkward and trying to discipline her, but he always had her back and would never give up an opportunity to remind her of her true potential.

She sighed. The Matthews family was so good to her, and what did she do? She took off and got herself kidnapped by her mother's psychotic boyfriend. She knew that they were probably worried sick for her.

"But what if they're not?" she wondered aloud. Maybe they weren't looking for her. Maybe Cory and Topanga were glad that this happened, since she was always a bad influence on their daughter. Maybe Riley was too busy dating Lucas to even think about Maya, or maybe she found a new best friend.

Maya shook off the feeling. _No, they would never do that_, she tried to reassure herself. _Would they?_

No matter how much Maya tried to deny it, she couldn't help worrying if the Matthews still cared about her. "Am I really worth it?" Maya whispered before drifting off to sleep, teardrops leaking from her eyes.

**Sorry for the length of this one, I just wanted to do a short filler chapter about Maya's life being kidnapped. Anyway, thanks for reading and please leave a review! Let me know if I should continue and feel free to leave suggestions for what you'd like to see next :)**


	7. For Good

**AN: Hey everyone! Let's start off by saying thank you to everyone who faved or reviewed! I truly appreciate all of the positive feedback and my confidence in my writing increased tremendously. And Aunt Morgan is finally making an appearance in Please Don't Leave Me for all u BMW fans. I got a lot of reviews asking the question if Maya will be pregnant. Well, I think my answer will please a lot of you, but you'll have to wait a few chapters. Anyways, here's chapter 7! Enjoy :)**

_"Riley," said Topanga, standing at the threshold between the hallway and her daughter's bedroom. She was obviously bawling earlier; her face was red and her eyes were teary. The sight of her mother trying to compose herself made Riley's eyebrows furrow with concern._

_"Mom?" asked Riley, fearing the reasons why her mother seemed so distraught. "Is everything okay?"_

_Topanga approached Riley and sat down next to her on the bed, followed by a teary-eyed Cory. "Honey, we need to talk to you," Topanga said nervously. _

_Riley gulped, knowing that whatever happened would leave her in tears. "What is it?" she asked as her heart rate increased._

_Just as she opened her mouth to break the news to her daughter, Topanga leaned in closer to Cory, now hysterical crying. _

_"You tell her," she sobbed. "I knew that this was gonna happen!"_

_Riley's heart jumped. "Does-does this have t-to do w-with- with Maya?" she stammered. _

_Cory gulped, grasping Riley's hand. "This is so hard for us to tell you," he said. "But the police finally found Maya, and-"_

_"Really?!" interrupted Riley, now jumping up and down. "How is that bad? That's awesome!"_

_But her excitement level dropped as her mother and father exchanged worried glances. _

_"What is it?" asked Riley softly, sitting back down between her parents. "Is Maya..." She couldn't say the word. It was too hard for her._

_"I'm sorry, Riley," sighed Cory. "But Maya is... dead."_

_Riley felt her whole world crashing down before her. "What?" she yelled, tears pouring down her cheeks. "No, she's not! She's not dead! She can't be!"_

_"Riley, sweetie, come here," hushed Topanga, opening her arms for a comforting embrace. _

_"No!" shrieked Riley, pacing the room like an animal in a cage. "This isn't real!"_

_Cory stood up, placing his hands on Riley's shoulders. "There's nothing that we can do," he said. "But at least Maya doesn't have to suffer anymore."_

_"I wonder what she went though," sniffed Riley, struggling to regain her self control. "It's not fair!"_

_Topanga shrugged. "Would you like to see what happened to her?" she asked blankly, confusing Riley. _

_"What?" Riley asked, wiping away her tears. Before her mother or father could answer, her visions darkened and the warmth of her parents comfort disappeared. "You'll see what she went through," said Topanga eerily before she was no longer in Riley's sight._

_"Wait, what's happening?" Riley wondered as she found herself in a dimly lighten room. She heard the piercing screams of a girl crying for help, turning around to see her best friend being tortured._

_Maya Hart laid on the floor, whimpering intimidating man struck her on the back with a baseball bat repeatedly._

_"Stop! Please, just stop!" Maya cried out. "Haven't you done enough to me?"_

_"Maya," gasped Riley. She was too petrified to move, as if her feet were nailed to the floor._

_A menacing laugh was heard along with the sound of footsteps walking away from the distressed girl. "Are you sure that you want all of this to end?" he asked. Riley gulped heavily as he pulled a gun out from the drawer and slowly began strolling back to Maya._

_"No," Riley whispered, hoping that Maya wouldn't give up just yet. "Maya, don't leave me."_

_"Yes, yes, just get it over with!" begged Maya. "I can't take it anymore!"_

_Riley felt her heart breaking at the sight of her best friend pleading for someone to kill her. She had never seen Maya act to vulnerable and fragile, not had she seen anyone so bloodied and bruised in her entire life._

_"Okay, here we go," the masculine voice said as he pressed the gun to his victim's head. "This is the day that the world will say goodbye to Maya Noelle Hart." He pulled the trigger, a single shot rang out and Maya's constant cries to end her suffering ceased._

"MAYA!"

Riley shot up in her bed like a rocket, kicking her blanket off of her bed. Her forehead was dripping with sweat and her hands were trembling. "It's okay," she whispered to herself. "It was just a dream."

As soon as she got up, she started hysterical crying and collapsed to her knees. What if Maya really was dead? Was her dream just a preparation for the future?

"Riley, are you okay?" asked Cory as he and Topanga rushed to their daughter's bedroom, hearing her screams and heavy sobs.

Riley sighed as she managed to stand up again, although the wind was knocked out of her. "I'm okay," she said, trying to catch her breath. "It was just a dream."

"Do you want to talk about it?" asked Topanga, running over to hug her daughter tightly. "It had to do with Maya, didn't it?"

Hot tears streamed down Riley's face like rivers as she squeezed her mother. "You guys told me that she was d-dead," she said feebly. "And then you sent m-me to see how she died."

"Aw, honey, it's okay," cooed Topanga, rubbing her daughter's back. "You have dreams like this every night, huh?"

Riley nodded, shaking from the trauma of her nightmares. "Every single night," she croaked. "Do you guys think that we'll ever find her?"

Topanga glanced at Cory, giving him the '_I don't know what I should say next_' look. He shrugged back at her, biting his lip.

"Sweetheart, you're growing up now, as much as we don't like to admit it," she said, sitting her daughter down on her bed. "Would you like to hear what would make you happy or would you like to hear the truth?"

Riley sighed, knowing that the truth must have been pretty bad. "The truth, I guess," she sniffed.

"Well, we can't be too positive that Maya will return safe and sound," Cory said gingerly, trying to be as sensitive to Riley's feelings as possible. But it didn't work; Riley's anger got the best of her (not that it hadn't been unusual lately).

It was as if a fire sparked inside of Riley. Her face turned hot with fury as she clenched her fists as tightly as she could. "Shut up!" she bellowed, startling her parents.

"Riley," gasped Topanga. "Don't talk to us that way."

Riley folded her arms and narrowed her eyebrows. "Phhh, I don't care," she said scornfully. "I can't believe that you people don't have any hope left! It's like no one does."

Cory sighed heavily, taking a seat next to his daughter. "It's not that we don't have any hope left," he said. "I'm just saying that there's a difference between being hopeful and being realistic."

"Well, I'm being realistic, too," defended Riley, shooting dirty looks at her parents. "And when was the last time that you've gone out to look for Maya yourself, huh Dad?"

"C'mon, Riley," said Cory, feeling defeated. Riley was right; he hadn't been searching for Maya ever since the phone call that told everyone that she had been kidnapped. It seemed as if no matter how hard the police would try, they couldn't rescue her. If NYPD couldn't track Maya down, there was no way that a middle school teacher could, so he didn't even bother trying.

"No, Dad. You c'mon," repeated Riley. "Stop being so freaking lazy and get your-"

"Riley! Riley!" interrupted Topanga, trying to calm down her remarkably different daughter. "I know that you're hurting, but you can't let the fear take away who you are."

Riley just groaned loudly and placed her hands on her hips, knowing that her mother was right. She was growing restless and impatient from waiting for Maya to get rescued that along the way she's turned selfish and nasty.

"Tck, that's easy for you to say," she mumbled. "You're not the one who's been waiting for your best friend for two months!"

Topanga and Cory sighed simultaneously, overcome by the same guilt and sorrow they'd been feeling for their daughter ever since that Saturday that Maya's gone missing. It's been about two months since the day that Cory had received a call from the police stating that Katy Hart had been arrested and that Maya was no where to be seen.

"It's hard," muttered Cory, looking down to the floor. "For all of us."

What he said had been no lie. Maya was practically his second daughter and loved Riley and Auggie no more than he had loved her. Realizing that she was suffering at home for all of those years that he had known her tore his heart apart. What if he had been there for her and saved her before it was too late?

"You know what?" barked Riley, throwing her pillow violently and knocking over a lamp in the process. "If it's so hard then, hmm... let me see... DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! MY HEART ISN'T BREAKING, DAD. IT'S ALREADY BROKEN! DON'T YOU WANT TO BE A GOOD FATHER FOR ONCE AND TRY TO FIX IT?!"

Topanga warmly embraced her daughter hoping to ease her down, only to be roughly pushed away.

"Don't touch me, you... you..." Riley said, her tone evolving from strong and intimidating to weak and regretful. Looking at her mother's eyes of sympathy and worry, she couldn't possibly call her a bad name.

Ever since the fight with Missy, Riley had broken out of her shell. She had lost her image of a sweet and innocent preteen and became notorious for her sudden grouchiness and her newfound smart-mouth. She wasn't afraid to say curse words or give anyone an attitude, but no one ever held it against her. People knew that inside, she was breaking down and just needed a shoulder to cry on. Riley was shocked yet grateful that Lucas and Farkle didn't leave her for acting so mean lately. They knew that she needed them more than ever.

"Riley, this isn't you," said Topanga sternly. "Aunt Morgan's supposed to come with us to see Wicked on Broadway tonight and if you don't snap out of it than you're not going!"

Riley shrugged, disobeying her mother. "I don't care," she snapped. "I don't even want to see Wicked anymore! Two months ago we got the three best seats, and the third person wasn't supposed to be Aunt Morgan."

Topanga swallowed hard, trying to keep back tears. Riley was right; the third person was originally going to be Maya, not Morgan.

"I know, hon," she said. "But Aunt Morgan's really looking forward to coming. Right, Core?"

"Yeah, she's coming all the way from Philadelphia to be with you girls," Cory added, rubbing Riley's back. To his surprise, his daughter didn't push him away or tell him not to touch her.

Riley huffed, blowing a strand of hair away from her face. "Whatever," she muttered under her breath. "At least Uncle Eric's not coming."

"Oh, Riley," teased Topanga as she rubbed the top of her grumpy daughter's head, smiling at Cory. "He's not that bad!"

Rolling her head around, Riley finally put a smile on her face. "Well, whenever I'm sad he does that stupid 'Feeny call' or whatever it is to try to make me laugh. It's so pathetic!"

"Riley, it does make you laugh," Cory pointed out, elbowing Topanga mischievously.

"Fee-nay," he joked, causing Riley to shake her head into her hands. "Fee-hee-hee-heenay!"

Topanga gave a good, firm smack to the back of her husband's head. "You're acting like an idiot," she ridiculed. "Besides, no one could do it like Eric."

"That's a compliment, Mom," laughed Riley, beaming her parents. "That's a trait that I think no one would like to possess."

"Aw, honey, I'm so glad that you're being yourself again," said Topanga, wrapping her arm around Riley.

Riley smiled inwardly, feeling remorseful for acting up whenever she missed Maya (which was all the time). "I'm sorry," she confessed. "But I can't help myself. And I probably won't get better any time soon."

"I can tell," said Cory. "I know that Eric and I joke about Mr. Feeny a lot, but the truth is that he really was a great teacher and a great person. When we go to Grandma and Grandpa's house in a few weeks, I'm sure that he'll be there to give you some good advice on how to deal with this."

"Thanks, dad," sniffed Riley. "I think that you're doing pretty good, yourself. Without you guys I'd be... Well, worse than I am right now."

Topanga pursed her lips, worrying about her daughter. "Sweetie, I just don't want you to slip into depression," she said, massaging Riley's back.

"Mom, I'm fine," lied Riley, faking a smile. "See?"

"Well, you haven't been acting fine," said Cory, folding his arms. "I just want you to know that your mom and I have your best interest, okay?"

Sighing, Riley nodded. "Yes, Daddy, I know," she moped, falling back into her sadness. Deciding to change the subject, she asked, "So... What time is Aunt Morgan coming?"

"Soon," said Topanga, grabbing her daughter's hand. "C'mon. Let's get some breakfast."

* * *

"It was a crummy drive with traffic, a flat tire, long gas lines and no good songs on the radio, but it was worth it to be here," said Morgan as she, Topanga and Riley came into the apartment at 11:30 pm once the play was over.

Topanga laughed, throwing her coat onto the couch. "It was an amazing show," she sighed. "Right, Riley?"

"Yeah," yawned Riley as she sluggishly plopped herself down at the table. "I'm really happy that you came, Aunt Morgan."

Morgan smiled, taking a seat next to her niece. "Thanks for inviting me, Ry," she said sympathetically, knowing that Riley was hiding her feelings of sadness. "And I'm sorry. I know that, well... I know that you were hoping that Maya would make it, and-"

"Thanks," Riley interrupted. "But I don't feel like talking about it."

"That's alright," said Morgan, laying her hand over Riley's. "But I want you to know that I'm here for you."

Riley gulped heavily hearing those words as tears formed in her eyes. "I'm hearing that a lot lately," she said softly.

"That's because it's true," said Topanga. "We need you to realize that."

She's right, Riley told herself. They really are here for me, no matter how badly I'm putting up with this.

"Did you guys notice that in the last duet between Elphaba and Glinda, 'For Good', I started-" began Riley, only to be cut off by her aunt.

"Hysterical crying into your hands?" finished Morgan, letting her niece rest her head on her shoulder. "I noticed."

Riley's face turned beet red out of humiliation. "Yeah, I know..." she muttered. "I don't know. It reminded me of my friendship with Maya."

"How?" asked Topanga, serving coffee to Morgan and hot chocolate to Riley. She knew that it was best if she had her daughter share her feelings instead of bottling them inside and taking them out on other people, as she had been doing lately.

Riley shrugged, trying to find the right words. "I dunno..." she said shyly. "The song was about great friends who may never see each other ever again, but the friendship really changed their lives. It's like me and Maya."

Morgan kissed the top of Riley's head. "I can't imagine how hard this must be for you," she cooed. "But I'm so proud of you for getting through this."

"You should've seen her before you came, Mor," joked Cory as he walked into the kitchen. "How was the show?"

"It was great!" exclaimed Topanga, handing her husband a cup of coffee. "Yeah, Aunt Morgan should be in a Broadway play! She sings just as good as them!" added Riley. Like Maya, she thought to herself.

Morgan rolled her eyes smiling. "Oh, stop it," she said, shaking Riley back and forth. "Gee, I'm bushed!"

"Ready for bed, little sis?" teased Cory. "It's way past Baby Morgan's bedtime."

"Shut up, Cory," pouted Morgan in a mock-hurt tone. "You big brothers are so mean!"

Riley laughed as she kissed everyone goodnight. "I'm going to sleep," she yawned, groggily making her way towards her bedroom. "See you in the morning."

"Get a good night sleep," informed Morgan. "You and I are going biking in Central Park tomorrow!"

"Can't wait!" smiled Riley before closing her door and letting a tear slide down her cheek. "Central Park is Maya's favorite place," she whispered.

After changing into her pajamas and crawling into bed, Riley leaned over to her side table and grabbed her laptop. She clicked onto the Internet, went straight to google and looked up the lyrics to 'For Good'.

**And that's a wrap! Thanks for reading and please leave a review. Should I bring in more BMW characters? Let me know. Feel free to pm me or leave in the reviews what you'd like to see next. Thanks and I'll see u in chapter 8 :)**


	8. Therapy

**AN: Hey everyone! Thanks again for all of the wonderful reviews! You guys really inspire me :) So a lot of you asked me for more BMW characters, so I promise you that they'll make an appearance within a few chapters. The three months are almost up! Yay! So here's chapter 8! Enjoy :)**

**Disclaimer: you know what I'm gonna say so I may as well not say it.**

"So, class, your tests on the American Revolution are on the Wednesday of the week that we come back to school," said Cory impatiently, glancing over at his watch to see that the time was 2:44; one minute until his students' highly-anticipated spring break. They were clicking their pens and chewing their erasers, eagerly awaiting their well-deserved week and a half of freedom.

Riley sat in her seat gloomily, knowing that she was the only person throughout the building who didn't care much for vacation. Every year, Maya would spend spring break with her and her family. This year would be different, and not in a good way.

She couldn't help herself from overhearing the conversation taking place behind her. "So, Brettie. What do you wanna do over break? As long as we're together, nothing can be wrong, right?" "Right, babe. Can't wait."

Riley rolled her eyes, tearing off the corner of a page in her notebook. Taking out a pencil, she wrote 'Bitch, please. Anything can go wrong when you're in the room.'

Just as she was about to pass the note back to Missy, she felt her father's eyes on her. "Riley, let me see that note," he said sternly, ripping the paper from his daughter's hand. Reading it, he sighed heavily and placed it on his desk.

"Dad, I..." Riley started, trying to come up with a good excuse. Nothing came out of her mouth, knowing that there was really no explanation for her actions.

"I want you to stay after class," Cory demanded exhaustedly as Missy sniggered in the back of the room. He knew how the conversation with Riley would play out, having to relive it practically everyday.

Biting her lip, Riley grumpily nodded. Why did she even write that note in the first place? She knew that it had nothing to do with Maya, so she really didn't have any reason to write it. She wasn't being defensive anymore; she was turning into a mean girl.

The bell finally rang, causing a major celebration in the classroom. The students bursted out of the classroom as Cory tried to catch their attention and wish them a happy break. "Have a good vacation!" he yelled as every student but Riley left.

"Dad, I don't really feel like hearing you yelling at me," Riley muttered, avoiding eye contact with her father.

"Riley, at first it was understandable when you got over emotional and got that new attitude, but now it's going too far and everyone's sick of it," Cory said, leaning against Riley's desk. "What if you never even see Maya again? Will you just continue acting like this?"

Riley shrugged, looking down to her locket. She found it a few weeks prior when she was in Central Park with Morgan, and she knew at once that it was Maya's. She remembered buying it for her best friend, knowing that she always wanted one. Inside was a picture of Riley and Maya hugging, which broke Riley's heart. Maya must have been so angry before she got kidnapped that she just threw it away.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, choking back tears. "I don't know what's going on with me."

Cory took a deep breath, unsure of what Riley's reaction would be when he told her what he had planned out for her. "Me neither," he sighed. "Which is why you're going to Miss Benson right now."

Riley's eyes widened. "No way!" she shrieked. "Dad, I may be upset, but I seriously don't need therapy."

"I think that you might," Cory shrugged. "I talked it over with her, and she says that you definitely need help."

"How does she know? She doesn't know what's going on in my life, nor do I want her to!" complained Riley, aggravated with her father.

Cory laid his hands on Riley's shoulders, attempting to calm her down. "Riley, relax. She's here to help you cope."

When Riley didn't answer Cory felt the need to continue his argument. "You've been cursing, strangling people in the cafeteria and telling your mom and I that you hate us. We're going to Grandma and Grandpa's house tomorrow and we're staying for the weekend, so I need you to snap out of it."

"Oh, great," mumbled Riley sarcastically. "Can't wait to hang out with old people."

"Riley, you're going to Miss Benson," demanded Cory, laying down the law. "But-" started Riley, being interrupted by her father. "No buts. Now go."

Riley huffed loudly as she grabbed her backpack and slouched towards the door. "You know, Dad," she smirked before leaving the room. "Maybe you're right. Maybe you're not a good enough parent to help me fix my problems so you get someone else to do it. At least Miss Benson might be useful, unlike you."

Before she could hear her fathers defensive remarks, Riley stormed out of the room, reluctantly making her way to the school psychologist's office. As much as she hated the idea of therapy, she didn't mind the idea of going to Miss Benson. She was the youngest and prettiest teacher on the faculty, let alone the nicest.

As she reached the door that read 'Delaney Benson- Psychologist'; Riley knocked on the door softly. She nervously waited for Miss Benson to open the door, hoping that this session wouldn't be too intimidating.

"Hi, Riley," said the beautifully blonde psychologist with a big smile stretched across her face as she greeted the student into her office. "Come on in!"

Riley smiled awkwardly, walking into the bright-colored room. She took in a breath of relief as she sat down, expecting the room to be dull and depressing instead of friendly and interesting.

"Would you like some lemonade?" Delaney asked as she sat down at the table across from Riley.

"Uh, yea, sure," said Riley. Maybe this isn't so bad, she told herself.

Delaney grinned, pouring Riley a cup of lemonade. "I thought so," she said. "I'm sorry to be keeping you here after school. I know that it's the last day before break."

"Phhh, don't worry about it," Riley reassured her, waving her hand. "It's my dad that's keeping me here- well, the both of us here."

"Well, I just so happen to agree with your father," said Delaney, starting to get down to business. "Even though I've known you for such a short time, I know that you've changed a lot. You're not the girl who attacks her classmates in the cafeteria. You're not the girl who fails her classes. And I don't think that you're the girl who gets detention over once a week."

Riley shrugged as her face reddened. "Look, Miss Benson," she said. "My dad's making a huge deal out of this. I don't need to be here. People change! That's life!"

Delaney took a deep breath, knowing that it would take some hard work to help the girl sitting before her. "Yes," she agreed. "But people usually change because of a milestone or tragedy that occurred in their lives. And I think that I know yours."

Pursing her lips, Riley pushed her chair away from the table. "Sorry, I'm here to somehow 'get over' this Maya thing, which we both know isn't possible. I'm not here to have you make me cry about it."

"It's okay to cry, Riley," consoled Delaney, grabbing her patient's hand. "It actually makes you feel better. You're only human. I'd rather have you bawling it out right now than letting your sadness, anger and frustration change the great person that I know you are. So go ahead. Cry."

"Miss Benson, I-" Riley started, but couldn't seem to finish her sentence. Tears rolled down her cheeks and she struggled to speak. "It's just... I... W-well, I..."

Delaney stood up and moved behind Riley, comfortingly rubbing her back. "Sweetie, it's okay," she cooed sympathetically. "I know that it hurts. And I'm not going to help you to heal, because that won't happen. You'll always be hurt by this, but I'll help you to cope with it instead of taking it out on other people."

When Riley finished her heavy sobbing, she rubbed her face and put her hair into a ponytail. "Okay," she sniffed. "I'm ready to continue."

"Alright," said Delaney, taking out a pen and pad. "I want you to make three columns. The first one with things that you like about Maya, the second one with the things that you don't like about her and the third one with how you feel that your friendship affected each of you."

"Will this really help me?" asked Riley unsurely, taking the pen from the psychologist.

Delaney shrugged. "I think it may," she said. "I won't give up on you, Riley."

Smiling, Riley began to write down all of the good, bad and special things about her relationship with Maya.

After about ten minutes, she finally put down her pen. "Okay, I'm done," she said, staring at her sheet of paper.

"Will you read it to me?" asked Delaney, folding her hands.

Riley nodded, taking a deep breath. "Okay, the things that I like about Maya are that she's funny, she's loyal, she's sarcastic in a good way, she's nice to me, she always has my back, she defends me, she gives me advice and she's basically my sister. She's also a really talented artist."

Delaney nodded, thinking about what Riley had said. "So overall she's your best friend and you love her the way she is, and she feels the same way about you?"

"Yes," answered Riley automatically. There was no need to think that question over.

"Okay," said Delaney, moving on to the next question. "So what do you think that her bad qualities are?"

Riley swallowed hard, having difficulty answering this question. "Well..." She started. "She gets into trouble a lot, she never really does her homework... And that's really it. And now I understand why. Because..."

"I know," interrupted Delaney, not wanting to make Riley say something that she wasn't comfortable saying. "Do you think that her good characteristics dominate her bad ones?"

"Absolutely," Riley responded certainly. "Go on."

"Alright," said the therapist. "How did your friendship with Maya affect you? Why is it so special?"

Riley bit her lip, unsure of how to put her strong emotions into words. She didn't write this one down, knowing that she couldn't write how she felt.

"I guess because... I don't know," she started. "I mean, I've known her longer than my brother and I spend much more time with her. She's basically my parents' other daughter and we're too close to describe. She needs me and... I guess that I need her." Tears began streaming down Riley's face as she finished her statement. "I don't know what else to say."

Delaney wrapped her arms around Riley's neck, letting the girl cry into her shoulder. "And that's all that you need to say. That was perfect."

"Thank you Miss Benson," choked Riley, backing up from the embrace. "I'm sorry."

"There's nothing to be sorry about," smiled Delaney, rubbing Riley's back. "But we need to talk about how you can control your temper."

Riley looked down, unsure of what to say next. "How do I do that?" she croaked.

"I have a few strategies planned in mind," said Delaney. "First, how would Maya react if she saw you choking Missy like you did a few weeks ago?"

"She would laugh," said Riley, unable to force back her smile. "But she would also be embarrassed, I guess."

Delaney chuckled. "There you go! You don't wanna embarrass her, do you?"

Riley shook her head. Although her psychologist was laughing, she began crying. "I don't," she wept, wiping her eyes with her sleeve.

"Okay," Delaney replied softly. "Also, if someone's being disrespectful towards you or Maya, tell a teacher. They would work it out, alright?"

"Alright," sniffed Riley, taking a sip of her lemonade. "Thank you so much."

"It was my pleasure, hon," said Delaney, reaching out to once more embrace the overwhelmed twelve year-old. "Do you feel better?"

Riley nodded. "I do," she said. "When you asked me how my relationship was special with Maya, that made me happy. I mean, she's gone and all, but a part of her is still with me. I don't think that I'd be who I am today if I was never friends with her, and no matter what happens next, she'll always be with me. Is that right?"

"Yes," said Delaney, beaming on how Riley has improved since she first walked into the room. "That's right. Remember that the next time you feel like acting up agin, kay?"

"Okay," agreed Riley, grabbing her bag. "Thank you, Miss Benson."

"No problem, Riley," said Delaney. "And if you ever need to talk, your dad has my phone number. Give me a call."

Riley smiled, making her way towards the door. "I will," she said. "Have a nice vacation."

"You too, hon," said Delaney just before her patient left her office.

Riley took a deep breath before walking into her father's classroom, seeing him collecting his files and preparing to leave for spring break. It's okay, she told herself. He won't get upset with you.

"Hey, Daddy," she said as she slowly opened the door. "Ready to go?"

"Yea," said Cory, shocked to see his daughter's fast improvement. "That was fast."

Riley shrugged, taking a seat at her desk. "Yeah," she mumbled. "I feel better, even though I'm not better. Do you know what I mean?"

"I think so," said Cory, grabbing his briefcase. "You're still hurting, but Miss Benson taught you how to control that?"

"Exactly," said Riley, hugging her father. "I miss her, Daddy. I'm scared."

Cory sighed, kissing the top of Riley's head. "I am too," he admitted. "But we have to stay strong, right?"

Riley smiled, although a tear leaked from her eye. "Yes," she wept. "There's no other choice."

"I'm so proud of you, Ry," said Cory as he led his daughter out of the room. "We'll get through this."

* * *

"Rick, get it over with!" cried the overly-distressed twelve year old as she received a swift quick to the stomach. "I know that you'll do it eventually! Just kill me now!"

Rick laughed menacingly, pounding Maya in the eye. "Tck, you actually want me to?"

"Y-yes!" sobbed Maya, falling to her knees. "Please, put this to an end!"

Grabbing her innocent face brutally in his cold, firm hands, Rick decided to give in to the girl's pleadings. "Since you asked so nicely," he said chillingly as he backed away from Maya.

Maya's heart froze, realizing that for once, she was getting what she was begging for. "F-fine," she stammered, realizing that her life would probably be over within the next minute. "Do it, then."

She opened her arms out wide as tears uncontrollably rolled down her bruised and cut up cheeks. "What are you waiting for?"

"Tomorrow at 4:30 pm," replied Rick. "24 more hours, miss. You have 24 more hours to live. Sweet dreams."

Just as he left the room where Maya was sleeping, the girl gulped heavily and ran over to her cot, crying hysterically.

"God," she prayed, her voice trembling along with her entire body. "I know I don't have much time left here on Earth, so I'm so sorry for all of the bad things I've done. Protect Riley and the Matthews family and help them to move on. But please, please, please, help me to get out of here by 4:30 tomorrow."

**24 hours people... Will she make it? Thanks for reading and please review! See u in chapter 9!**


	9. A Familiar Face

**AN: Hey everyone! Thanks soooooooo much for the awesome reviews! Some of them (Mia, u know what I'm talking about lol) made me laugh so hard but every single one of them inspired me to write chapter 9 as fast as I could. U guys are lucky that I write fast because believe it or not I have a life outside of fanfiction and I'm busy during the summer too. But I spend about a half an hour every morning and every night working on this for u guys. Ok, one step closer to Maya's rescue :) Yayyy! No one wants to read this authors note anyway so here's chapter 9! Enjoy :)**

**Disclaimer: Sure... I own girl meets world (heavy sarcasm there)**

"Dad, why didn't we just take the train?" groaned Riley as she gloomily gazed out of the window to see nothing but countless trees and no other cars. "And do you even know where we are?"

Cory laughed, making a right turn. "Riley, relax. Eric's my brother, and he wouldn't give me the wrong directions. Besides, trains are gross and if we took the highway we'd hit too much traffic."

Riley's jaw dropped, sensing that her father was out of his mind. "Dad, you're losing it," she said. "Why on earth would you use the directions that Uncle Eric gave you?"

"Shit," Cory said under his breath, realizing his mistake. "I am losing it."

Laughing softly, Riley put her earphones in and began listening to her music on her phone. "Dad, is this Maya situation making you delirious or something?"

Cory shrugged, putting a smile on his face. "I guess so," he admitted. "What are you listening to?"

"'For Good'," said Riley, unable to control a tear from dripping out of her eye. "You know. From Wicked? It's the song that reminds me of Maya and I."

Biting his lip, Cory decided to turn on the radio and stop Riley from listening to her iPod. "I don't think that's the song that you should be listening to," he said honestly. "Don't you feel like you should... I don't know. Get it out of your head?"

"Dad, I can't forget about Maya. I went to Miss Benson because she could help me control my anger, but I can never control the pain," defended Riley, trying to hide her temper.

"I know," said Cory. "But I want you to have a good time in Philadelphia. I think that Shawn Hunter may even stop by for dinner on Saturday night. I don't want you to be depressed this weekend."

Rolling her eyes, Riley proceeded to listen to her music. "Oh, yippee," she said sarcastically. "I can't wait to hear more four-hour stories about when you were kids."

"C'mon, Ry," pleaded Cory, wanting her to snap out of it. "Shawn was like my Maya when I was your age. And he went through a lot when he was a kid, too. Like the time when-"

"Dad, what did I say about the stories," said Riley, covering her ears. "I don't wanna hear them!"

Cory laughed, messing around the top of his daughter's hair. "Alright, alright," he said. "At least your mother isn't here. She'd tell the stories no matter what you'd say."

"Yeah," said Riley, sighing. Topanga had to stay home with Auggie, who had the stomach flu. "Poor Mom. Auggie's annoying as it is, so I can't imagine what he must be like puking all over the place."

"Oh, please," said Cory. "He's your little brother. He loves you! And he was also so upset that he couldn't come with us."

Riley huffed, glancing out the window. "That's why he's annoying," she muttered.

"Dad, I have a question," Riley said, bracing herself for the difficult words that she was about to say. "Do you think that... Well, answer me honestly. Do you think that Maya's still alive?"

Cory let out a loud sigh, staring blankly at the road ahead of himself. He wasn't sure how to answer that simple question, knowing that 'I don't know' wouldn't be a good enough answer.

"Riley, I don't wanna upset you," he said gingerly. "But I can't tell. They say that bad things happen for a reason, but I can't see anything good coming out of this. God has a plan, we won't ever really know what it is unless we wait. No matter what your heart's telling you, you should listen to it, Riley."

Gulping heavily, Riley nodded as more tears streamed down her face. "Alright," she whispered meekly. "And I think that my hope hasn't run out yet."

"That's good," said Cory. "I don't want you to ever lose faith. And whatever happens, Maya will always be your best friend, right?"

"Right," said Riley, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. "Dad, I'm sorry for-"

"Don't be sorry," Cory interrupted, swelling up with teardrops. "It's my fault that all of this happened, not yours."

Riley felt as if her heart had stopped beating in her chest. "No, Dad, it's not," she said, trying to reassure her father that he had nothing to do with Maya's kidnapping. "Of course you're going to take the blame because you're a good person. It shows how much you care about Maya. Dad, I know that you're no less worried than I am."

"No, I could've stopped her from going back to her apartment that day and she wouldn't have ran away, and..." he couldn't finish his sentence without choking up in tears. He had to be as strong as he could for Riley.

"Dad, I..." Riley started, although she had no argument. Her father could have prevented it, but it wasn't his fault at all. He never meant for this to happen. "Dad, you're not the one who abused Maya all these years and then kidnapped her. You're the hero who saved her from the abuse and I know that you'll save her again someday."

Swallowing hard, Cory hesitantly nodded. "Mmkay," he mumbled, straightening his focus on driving. "Whatever you say."

After another hour of driving, Cory finally realized that he was completely lost. "C'mon!" he snarled, slamming down onto the wheel. "We're lost! What's wrong with me? Why did I ever trust Eric?"

Riley choked back a laugh, knowing that it wasn't a good time to tease her father. "I dunno," she said, kind of feeling like her old self again. I_'ll have a good weekend_, she told herself. _Let's get through this car ride first_.

"We're in the middle of know where!" yelled Cory, slightly startling his daughter. Right when she was beginning to feel semi-better he just had to blow his top. "Look at all of these trees! I can barely see the road anymore!"

"Dad, I don't think that this is a road," informed Riley, trying to stay calm. "But look, there's a little house over there with a car. There has to be a road nearby if someone lives here."

Cory raised his eyebrows, fuming with frustration. "What kind of lunatic would live here? It's in the middle of the woods! And that's not a house, that's like a cabin."

"So?" asked Riley, folding her arms. "There has to be a road!"

Taking a deep breath, Cory turned off the car. "You're right," he said. "I'm gonna go outside and look for one. I'll have a better view since there are all of these goddamn trees all over the place."

"Kay," sighed Riley, shocked to see her father cursing. Of course, he probably had the same reaction seeing her act up. Even though he was a grown man, Riley still couldn't picture Cory that way. Then again, he was stupid enough to trust Eric with directions. Riley smiled, thinking about how foolish her dad must had felt, especially since they were lost.

As soon as she hopped out of the car, her father clapped his hand over her mouth. "Mmph!" she cried, her voice coming out muffled.

"Sh," hushed Cory, placing his finger over his lips. "Do you hear that?"

Riley's heart rate increased as she heard piercing screams sounding close by. She was getting both a good and bad feeling about it; good because it may have been Maya and also bad because it may have been Maya.

"_Rick, I know that I have a half hour, but get it over with! Kill me, already_!"

Cory worriedly glanced at Riley. They were both panicking, knowing that something awful was taking place in the cabin that was only about 20 yards away from them.

"Riley, wait in the car," he demanded sternly, flinching as another screeching help was heard. "I'm going in."

"Dad, no!" begged Riley in a whisper. "You can't!" What if he want inside and was injured, or worse, killed? She couldn't lose both Maya and her father.

Cory gulped and then kissed the top of his daughter's head. "It's alright," he said consolingly, grabbing her hand. "Get out your phone and dial 911. I'll signal you when to call, alright?"

Riley nodded, obediently doing what she was told. "But dad, I can't let you-"

"I'll be fine," finished Cory, backing away from Riley. Doubt filled his mind as he turned to the cabin. What if he was risking both the lives of himself and his daughter? As much as he didn't want that to happen, he couldn't drive away knowing that he'd possibly let his daughter's best friend continue suffering.

"I love you, Riley," he choked. If he really would die in that cabin trying to save whoever needed saving, he wanted his last words that she would hear from him to be special, not something like 'call the police if you hear more screaming.'

"I love you too, Daddy," whimpered Riley, shaking all over her body. "B-be careful."

Taking a deep breath, Cory jogged his way over to the cabin, noticing a window being covered by a tree. Pushing away the branches, he was a strong and burly man cracking his knuckles intimidatingly as a familiar girl fell to her knees, hysterically sobbing.

"Maya," Cory gasped, now crying by the looks if the girl whom he hadn't seen for three months. She was now bruised, scraped and incredibly weak-looking and Cory could tell that she'd been through so much.

"26 minutes," taunted the man as he kicked Maya in the stomach, pinning her down to the floor. "26 more minutes, Hart."

More tears streamed down the distressed girl's beaten face. "Alright!" when screeched, seeing something out of the corner of her eye that made her hopes of living increase from 0% to 75%.

_Oh my god, Mr. Matthews_,she thought to herself. She couldn't believe her eyes and she hoped that she wasn't just hallucinating. She was seeing her best friend's father looking into the window, watching her getting tortured. As much as she wanted Cory to come in and save her, she didn't want to put his life at risk. Rick was much stronger than he was, and besides that, she didn't want anyone to see her going through what she was experiencing.

"Save me," she mouthed as Rick wasn't looking. If he had seen her communicating for help, he would have killed at the second no matter what the deal was.

Cory's jaw dropped. He hated to see an innocent twelve-year-old being treated that way. What am I waiting for? he asked himself, knowing that all Maya wanted was for him to go in and protect her. "Don't worry," he mouthed back to her. "I'll get you out of there."

Maya nodded but to her disadvantage, Rick noticed. "Who are you nodding at, stupid?" he yelled, slapping his victim across the face.

"N-no one!" cried Maya as Cory quickly scurried out of sight. "I was n-nodding to y-you! I know that I h-have 26 more m-minutes left!"

"Tck," laughed Rick. "25 now. You know I may get an award for this, y'know? I'll be a hero exterminating the most hideous and awful bitch who ever walked the face of the earth."

Cory began fuming at the sound of those hurtful words being spoken. He inhaled deeply as he made his way towards the front door. "This is it," he whispered. From the moment that he would step foot into that cabin, he would greatly affect the lives of himself, his family, the kidnapper and most importantly, Maya.

Swallowing hard, he gave fearfully waved to Riley, hoping that it wouldn't be the last time that he would ever see her face. As he saw his daughter timidly waving back and heard another deafening scream, he realized that it was now or never. He took one last deep breath and kicked down the door.

"I believe that you're the one who has to worry about 25 minutes, bastard!"

**Don't you just love cliffhangers? Probably not. Well, let's wait and see what happens next. As always, thanks for reading and please leave a review! Xoxo**


	10. Rescued

**AN: Okay, I wrote that chapter EXTREMELY FAST. Thanks for the reviews, and I know u all wanted to kill me for the cliffhanger. I had four free hours so I was just like "hey, let's write another chapter!" So this must be my record, two chapters in five hours. Wow. Anyway, Cory found Maya! Yayyy! But will he save her? Let's see in chapter 10! Enjoy :) btw: u gotta read the poem in the reviews for chapter 9. It's HILARIOUS. It was under 'guest' but it was really 'awesomesauce200' who didn't log in yet. So let's see what happens after Cory breaks into the cabin...**

**Disclaimer: you already know what I'm gonna say. I don't own gmw.**

"I believe that you're the one who has to worry about 25 minutes, bastard!"

Maya sighed of relief as Rick speechlessly dropped her to the floor. He gave her one last kick in the face, causing her to collapse to the ground. Cory gulped, knowing that whatever would happen next wouldn't be pretty.

"Whatdya want, punk?" spat Rick, cracking his knuckles and intimidatingly made his way towards Cory. "If it's that hideous thing over there, scratch that off the list. She's mine now."

As timid as he felt, Cory stood his ground. He wouldn't let Rick scare him away from potentially rescuing Maya.

"In your dreams," protested Cory, pulling Rick closer to him by his collar. He put on his toughest face, now forehead to forehead with who he realized at that very moment was his worst enemy.

Rick's eyebrows furrowed, furious with Cory for finding where he was hiding Maya. "In your nightmares, buddy," he snarled, raising a fist. Before he could hit the man who intended on rescuing his victim, he felt someone punching him in the nose.

"How do you like that?" asked Cory before he earned a punch in the face in return. He realized that his nose was bleeding, but he couldn't stop there. Unless he was dead, noting could stop him from trying to get Maya away from that man.

Maya just sat there, dumbfounded. It was as if she had momentarily stopped breathing. She wasn't sure whether to make a dash for the door or to help Cory fight Rick off. "Mr. Matthews!" she shrieked, tears pouring down her cheeks. She couldn't resist crying seeing the fistfight taking place between her favorite and least favorite adult in the world.

"Maya, get out of here!" demanded Cory as he pinned Rick down to the floor. However, Rick raised his knees and kicked his opponent in the stomach, forcing Cory off of him.

Maya obediently nodded, using her unstable and weak legs to start running to the door.

"Forget it, bitch!" bellowed Rick, grabbing a baseball bat from behind him and slamming it against Maya's head, causing her to go unconscious.

"Maya!" shouted Cory as Maya collapsed to the floor. "Your turn," laughed Rick as he raised the bat to hit Cory. But just as he was about to strike him, Cory too grabbed on, pulling it away from Rick.

"Bastard," Cory growled between gritted teeth, finally winning the battle over the baseball bat. Knowing that Rick would obviously expect him to try to knock him out with the bat, he threw it out the door.

Rick raised his eyebrows, delivering another pound to his nemesis's bleeding nose. "Sorry, 'Superman'," he apologized sarcastically. "This is a war that we both know you'll never win."

"I wouldn't be too sure of that," defended Cory, his heart beating faster than it ever had in his entire life. "Who do you think you are?" His nose was killing him, but he had to continue fighting. He kicked Rick as hard as he could, forcing him to fall to the ground.

Just then, he felt a vibration from his pocket and groaned, knowing that it must have been Riley. He quickly answered it, not wanting to frighten his daughter.

"Riley, what is it?" he yelled, receiving a kick to the shin as Rick recovered and got back up to his feet. "This isn't a good time!"

In the car, Riley was shaking from head to toe. "D-daddy?" she asked, her voice trembling. She heard screams and yells coming from the cabin along with the sounds of a fight taking place. "Are you alright?"

"Get off the phone and fight!" tempted Rick, once more kicking Cory in his legs.

"RILEY, GO ON YOUR PHONE AND GET THE LOCATION! THEN DIAL FUCKING 911! I CANT TALK NOW!" shouted Cory, causing Riley to go from shaking to bawling in a split second.

Cory hung up his phone and shoved it back into his pocket before jumping off of the ground and kicking Rick in the chest with both feet. No matter how focused on the fight he was, he couldn't help glancing over towards Maya, who was still unconscious on the floor.

His blood boiled whenever he saw the girl's battered and damaged body. She had scrapes and bruises all over her face, a large and fairly new cut on her arm that was still bleeding. Cory assumed that Rick must have sliced her with a knife moments before he arrived at the cabin.

"Just give up, Matthews!" said Rick, pushing Cory so hard that they both fell from the impact. "How do you know my name?" yelled Cory, immediately recovering and jumping to his feet.

Rick sniggered, wiping blood from his mouth that started gushing out when his tooth dug into his lip when Cory punched him. "Katy told me about how fucking idiotic you are! Katy Hart, my girlfriend!"

Cory turned bone white, realizing that Katy must have had something to do with this kidnapping. "Well, your girlfriend's a bitch!" he growled, slamming Rick against the wall and pounding his cheek seven times before being pushed away.

"How dare you?" asked Rick as he used his sharp fingernails to scratch Cory's face and tear his shirt. He was infuriated with him for both interfering with his privacy and then bashing on his girlfriend.

"Well, how dare you kidnap and abuse a twelve-year-old girl, huh?" fought Cory, now backing away from his adversary until he hit the wall.

Chuckling, Rick grabbing Cory's arms, pressuring him to stay put. "Yeah, well that's fun," he smirked, spitting in his rival's eye.

"Well, your 'fun' is about over, pal," said Cory, breaking free from Rick's grip and punching him one last time. He spotted something through the corner of his eye, something that may put Rick to a temporary rest.

Cory grabbed the shovel that he found in the corner of the room and raised it up, seeing Rick fade from his aggressive masculinity into weakness.

"You wouldn't," he said sternly, backing away Cory. He knew that his opponent now had a better chance of winning that fight now that he was better armed.

Grinning, Cory raised his eyebrows. "You messed with my family, I mess with you," he protested. "This girl's in my family, blood or not. Have fun in hell!" With that, Cory took the shovel and struck the back of Rick's head. Rick fell unconscious as blood began dripping from where Cory had hit him, but he didn't care. As long as Rick wasn't able to fight anymore, Cory was content.

He took a moment to catch his breath, staring blankly at the ground as he let the shovel collapse from his hands. "I did it," he whispered. "I won."

Turning around to leave, he realized that he had forgotten the thing that made him go into the cabin in the first place. He dashed over to Maya, his heart rate increasing again.

"Maya, no, no, no, no," he gasped, checking for a pulse. To his relief, he heard her breathing and felt a heartbeat. Cory gulped heavily as he lifted the limp body in his arms, carrying the girl out the door.

"You're safe," he said to the unconscious Maya, making a run to the car to see his frightened daughter hysterically crying in the front seat. Riley's heart skipped a beat with both joy and sorrow to see her bloody-nosed father carrying none other than her best friend whom she hadn't seen for over three months.

"MAYA!" screamed Riley, bursting out of the car. "Daddy, is she-"

"No, she's not dead," interrupted Cory, panicking. "Did you call he police?"

Riley nodded, wiping a tear from her eye. "Yes, and they're on their way," she informed, running over to her father and her friend. "Oh, Maya!"

Cory took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. "O-okay," he sighed, lightly jogging over to the car. "I'll call them again and tell them that we're bringing Maya to the hospital. Open the back door for me."

"But we're lost! We don't know where any hospital is!" cried Riley, throwing her hands in the air. She opened the door as she was told as her father gingerly laid Maya down.

"Sit with her and make sure that she's breathing," Cory directed, sprinting over to the front seat. "And on your phone, look up where the nearest one is. Your GPS will take us there. She needs to be treated immediately!"

Riley was trembling as she nervously began stroking Maya's hair. She was horrified to see her friend's scars and bruises and tears leaked from her eyes onto Maya's face. "But, Daddy-"

"But nothing, Riley!" shouting Cory, stirring inside. "We need to get her to a hospital before it's too late!" Without saying another word, he put the key into the ignition and sped off to a road that he had found.

Gulping heavily, Riley looked down to her best friend. "We found you, Maya," she whispered, feeling both overjoyed and terrified. "You're saved."

**Yay! Maya's safe! But for how long? The story is still far from over, so please keep reading. Anyways, thanks so much for the incredible support and please review :)**


	11. Long Time, No See

**AN: Hey everyone! Okay, thanks so much for the reviews! It really means so much to me. So, yay! Maya was rescued! Now I present to you the long-awaited reunion between her and Riley. Enjoy :)**

**Disclaimer: What's the point of disclaimers anyway? I obviously don't own GMW... Sigh, I wish I did**

**PLUS WHOEVER MADE THE TWITTER HartRickypicky, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE DELETE THE ACCOUNT! ITS VERY DISTURBING AND CREEPY AND ID RATHER U MADE A PDLM ACCOUNT THAN ONE FOR RICK, OKAY? ...thank you**

Cory was tapping his foot rapidly against the floor in the waiting room and was nervously chewing his fingernails. He's been sitting in the same spot for hours, waiting for the doctor's approval for Maya to have visitors. As much as Riley tried to force him to, he couldn't eat dinner earlier that evening. All he did was sit in the pizzeria across the street from the hospital and kept checking his phone for notifications from the doctor.

He glanced over to the clock on the wall; it was 12:13 am. Riley was sound asleep, snoring softly in the corner of the room. She looked so calm and at rest, unlike the way she'd been for the past three months. Cory smiled at his daughter, knowing how satisfied she must have felt. Her best friend was finally safe and the doctors said that she would make it out alive, so why wouldn't she be content with that?

But that wouldn't ease his ongoing worries about Maya's health. What if she was seriously sick or injured? What if she was suffering from memory loss as a result from when Rick struck her with the bat? But the highest of his concerns were if Maya was possibly pregnant.

He ran his fingers through his hair, trying to snap out of his thoughts._ No, she's only twelve_, he reminded himself._ She'll be fine_.

"Daddy?" said a soft voice, breaking Cory's trance. "Hmm?" he asked, looking over to see Riley's bright eyes fluttering open. "Is everything okay?"

Cory sighed, wrapping his arm around his daughter. "Yeah, I guess so," he lied, not wanting to inform Riley of his doubts. "I think that she's fine."

Riley smiled inwardly, resting her tired head on her father's shoulder. "I hope so," she yawned. "You called Mom, right?"

"Yeah," said Cory. "She'll be here as soon as Auggie's better. And I also called Grandma, Aunt Morgan, Uncle Eric and Shawn, but Shawn didn't answer yet."

"You better thank Uncle Eric," Riley pointed out, raising one finger in the air. "If it weren't for his lousy directions, we would have never found Maya, right?"

Cory laughed, realizing that for once, Eric did something extremely important. "I never thought of it that way, but I will."

Riley sighed loudly, pulling her phone out of her pocket and noticed that she had received a text message from Lucas.

**From: Lucas**

**Message: hey, did u see maya yet? Is she ok? Lmk. Tell her that we all missed her. **

Riley smiled as she typed her response to Lucas's message.

**No, I didn't c her yet. The doctors said that she'll be ok. I'll call u in the morning bc it's getting late. Don't wanna keep u up. Bye :)**

"Who are you texting?" asked Cory curiously, peeking over to Riley's phone. Riley rolled her eyes, knowing what her father's next response would be. "Lucas," she said casually, hoping that Cory wouldn't freak out. "And don't worry, he just wants to know about Maya."

Cory raised an eyebrow with suspicion, however he didn't badger Riley on how he felt she was too young to talk to boys. "If you say so," he said. "Are you excited to see Maya?"

Much to his surprise, Riley only shrugged. "I dunno..." She muttered, feeling tears forming in her eyes. "Daddy, I'm scared."

As much as she wanted to see her friend again, Riley was also incredibly worried and nervous. Questions soared her mind like what she should say or how she should treat Maya. All that she knew was that there would no longer be that wild and free-spirited girl that she once knew.

"I know," Cory responded softly. "But you're also really happy she's back, right?" Riley nodded, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. "I guess so," she said. "This is both one of the happiest and saddest days of my life. I don't know why."

"Well, we've been going through anxiety with Maya gone, and now she's back but has gone through so much. You've both been struggling without each other and it'll take time for everything to settle down again," explained Cory. "But she's probably anxious to see you."

Riley smiled as a tear trickled down her cheek. "Yeah," she sighed. "I just hope that she's happier now."

Cory bit his lip, unsure of what to say next. "I bet that she's semi-happy," he started. "But I don't think that she's emotionally stable yet. She must be really traumatized, Riley. We can't make her talk to us about what's been going on until she's ready."

"Okay," said Riley, exhaling heavily. Before anyone could say anything else, one of Maya's nurses approached the two with a grin stretching across her face.

"Miss Hart is ready for visitors," she said, causing both Riley's and Cory's hearts to skip a beat. _This is it_, Riley thought to herself. _Here we go_.

Cory jumped out of his seat, eager to see how Maya was doing. "Really?" he exclaimed loudly, slightly embarrassing Riley. "Dad, calm down," she said, resting her hand on his arm.

The nurse pursed her lips, unsure of how to break the news to Cory. "Well..." She started, looking over to Riley. "Maya made a request that Riley would go in first."

"Of course," sighed Cory in a mock-hurt tone. "Well, I'll be here."

"Ha!" smirked Riley, elbowing her father. "I'll see you in a few minutes." The nurse grabbed her hand, leading her out of the waiting room.

Riley took a deep breath, feeling worried about how her conversation with Maya would play out. She understood that best friend must have changed tremendously, but that didn't mean that she completely accepted the fact that the same old Maya would be gone.

_I hope she isn't too unstable_, wondered Riley as her palms began to sweat. _I couldn't be able to stand to see her like that_.

As soon as the nurse stopped her in front of Maya's room, Riley was overcome with a wave of dizziness. She had never had mixed emotions like that in her entire life. "Are you ready?" asked the nurse, sensing Riley's anxiousness.

"I guess so," Riley said in a voice so soft that it was barely even a whisper. She tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear as she finally placed her sweaty hands on the doorknob.

Maya's heart was beating rapidly and her cheeks were wet with tears. The nurse said that she would go fetch her visitors, and Maya knew that in just a few moments she would be reunited with her best friend. Although the doctors told her that she would be just fine, she knew that she would never emotionally be healed, and she didn't want to dump all of her problems onto Riley and the Matthews. _I hope that they're not mad at me_, she thought to herself.

She was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard the sound of the door creaking open.

"Maya?"

Riley showed a small smile, happy to see her best friend conscious for the first time in three months. Tears swelled up in her eyes and she tried to ignore all of the scars and bruises on Maya's face. She couldn't move; she was too overjoyed to find a way to go over to the bed where her friend laid.

"Riley," sighed Maya, her eyes glistening with warmth and contentment. Her fears automatically were at ease seeing Riley standing at the threshold between her room and the hallway.

Taking a deep breath, Riley couldn't resist standing there any longer. She dashed over to the Maya, throwing her arms around her neck. "I missed you so much," she choked before realizing that her best friend was wincing from the embrace.

"Not as much as I missed you," whispered Maya, trying to control the pain as Riley backed away from her. "I'm sorry," said Riley. "Am I hurting you?"

Maya shrugged, reaching out to hug her friend again. Her back was achey from all of her bruises and scars from Rick, but that wouldn't stop her from her long-awaited reunion with her best friend. "A little bit," she admitted as Riley once more wrapped her arms around her. "But I don't mind."

"Oh, Maya," wept Riley, now hysterically bawling into Maya's shoulder. "I'm so sorry. About everything! If only there was something that I could've done..."

"Sh, Riley, I'm alright," hushed Maya as tears streamed down her face as well. "There was nothing that you could've done."

Riley bit her lip as she felt her friend gently rubbing her back. "I know," she croaked, unable to prevent the tears from rolling down her cheeks over and over again. "But I was so lost without you."

Maya smiled, slowly backing away from the embrace. "You have no idea," she sniffed, wiping he eyes. "But I'm here now!"

"And I can't believe it," said Riley, rolling her eyes out of disbelief and satisfaction. "It's weird, because it's the best day of my life, but I'm also so sad. I don't know why."

Shrugging, Maya took a sip from her bottle of water. "There are just so many emotions," she said. "I feel the exact same way. And thank you, for everything. Thank you so much."

"For what?" asked Riley. "It was my dad who saved you, not me."

"Well, you helped me to get through everyday," said Maya as painful memories came gushing back to her and her weeps didn't cease yet. "I thought of you every night and fantasized this day. And now I'm actually living it!"

Riley smiled, taking her friend's cold and scraped hand. "How are you feeling?" she asked, knowing that whatever Maya's response was, it wouldn't be good.

"I'm alright now that I have some company," Maya replied, smiling weakly as she glanced over to the cards, flowers and gifts on her end-table. "Are these all from you?"

"Yes," answered Riley, preparing to get down to more serious matters with Maya. "Maya, if you're not ready to talk, then I understand. But how- how bad was it?"

Maya gulped, unsure of what to say next. "What do you mean?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"How badly did he... Ya know. How badly are you hurt by this?" asked Riley, looking her friend dead in the eye. She was startled by Maya's reaction, seeing her hysterical crying into her hands. "Oh my god, I'm sorry!" shrieked Riley, apologetic for even mentioning the kidnapping.

"No," said Maya, her voice muffled by her hands. "I need to be able to talk to you about it." After taking a few deep breaths, she was finally redeemed and ready to talk.

Riley let out a heavy sigh, her breath trembling. She hoped that Maya's experiences weren't too horrific, although she knew that she couldn't expect the best. "Are you ready now?"

Maya nodded, inhaling deeply. "I don't wanna scare you," she started, avoiding eye contact with Riley. "But it was terrible. Every day I was... He... He beat me and..." she couldn't continue her statement, having trouble breathing and tears uncontrollably poured from her eyes.

"Maya, stop it!" cried Riley, trying to calm her overwhelmed friend down by warmly embracing her again. "Don't. If you're uncomfortable, don't say it. But I'm here for you, don't worry." Those words seemed odd coming from her mouth, as she was used to hearing them rather than saying them.

"No, Riley," wept Maya, taking her hands away from her face. "What do you think happened?"

Riley gasped as her eyes widened with concern. "Did he..." she started, gulping heavily. "R-rape you?"

Maya's heart dropped, realizing that Riley's innocence was slipping away along with her own. "He did," she whispered as she silently cried tears of shame and humiliation.

_No_, Riley thought to herself. _No, this isn't real!_ She wasn't sure whether to cry, hug her friend or reassure her that everything would be alright. It was like lightning has struck her, and she knew that nothing would be the same.

"Oh, Maya," she cried, wrapping harms around her weak friend. No other words could escape her mouth, feeling the same trauma and fear as Maya was. "Riley, don't cry," bawled Maya, trying to sedate herself. "I'm safe now."

Riley sniffed, backing away from the embrace. "But... But you're not- pregnant, are you?" she asked, her tone uncertain and afraid. _Please don't be, Maya,_ she hoped.

Maya sighed of relief, putting Riley's fears at ease. "The doctor did a pregnancy test, and the results came back negative," she said, drying her eyes. "So I'm not pregnant and I don't have any STDs."

"Well, that's good," said Riley, beaming with happiness. "I'm so happy, Maya. I'm so happy that you're here, that you're not sick or pregnant or anything... I'm just, ugh! I'm just so happy!"

"Yeah, me too," replied Maya softly, resting her head on Riley's shoulder. "But where are we, anyway? And how did you find me?"

Riley smiled, ready to share the story with Maya. "Okay, so my dad and I were on our way to my Grandma and Grandpa's house for the weekend and my Uncle Eric gave us the wrong directions. We got lost in the middle of the woods and heard screams and..."

"Okay," said Maya, not wanting to hear about the part where she came into the story. "Well, thank The Lord for Eric."

"I know, right?" agreed Riley. "If it weren't for him, you would still be..." She caught herself before she could finish, knowing that it'll only upset Maya more if she was reminded that she could still be in that place.

Maya smiled slightly, leaning back into her bed. "So how's everyone at home?" she asked, changing the subject. The last thing that she needed was to be talking about her past three months, knowing that she'd have a lot of explaining to do to the police.

"Worried about you," Riley answered plainly, shocking Maya. "Really? I thought that no one would even care!"

Riley smiled, soothingly rubbing her best friend's hands. "You thought wrong," she said. "We all missed you like crazy!"

"Even Missy?" asked Maya sarcastically, expecting the answer to be no. "Well, no," said Riley, unsure if she should mention Brett's betrayal yet. "But I beat her up in the cafeteria, so don't worry."

Maya couldn't resist laughing at that, picturing Riley and Missy having a fistfight in the lunchroom. "You did?" she asked, tears now swelling up from humor rather than depression. "Why?"

Riley gulped heavily. I shouldn't have said that, she scolded herself. "Nothing, she was just saying how she didn't care, that's all," she lied. "But I think that she really does care."

"Okay, well, she doesn't bother me," said Maya pridefully. "How's Texas-Boy?"

"Hotter than ever," laughed Riley, turning beet red from embarrassment. "He's been so supportive and, ugh! He's just adorable!"

Maya smiled, squeezing Riley's friend. "Aw," she said. "I'm so happy for you! What's that?" She finished her sentence pointing to Riley's locket that she had recognized deeply.

"Oh!" gasped Riley, taking off the necklace and opening the locket to show Maya the picture of the two girls hugging. "It's yours! I found it in Central Park with my aunt. I remember buying it for you and putting in this picture!"

"Oh," sighed Maya, remembering herself throwing it on the ground the night that she got kidnapped. "Thank you!" She took the locket from Riley and put it on. "Remember when I stole that one locket?"

"Yeah," said Riley, stretching her tired arms. "Those were the days," continued Maya, stroking her best friend's hair.

Riley sat up straight, noticing that her father would probably want to come in the room. "Uh, can I go get my dad?" she asked. "I bet that he wants to see you."

Maya nodded, turning bone white. "But can you stay with me?" she asked, her voice now trembling. "Of course!" said Riley, sensing Maya's nervousness. "But why?"

"I dunno..." said Maya, looking away. "It's just that..."

Riley gulped, realizing Maya would be uncomfortable alone with a grown man after all that had happened to her. "Oh," she whispered. "Maya, my dad would never-"

"I know, Riley," Maya said sternly, startling Riley slightly. "Just please don't leave me."

Nodding, Riley turned around to get her father from the waiting room. "What is she thinking?" she asked herself. "Why would she be afraid to be alone with my dad?"

"Riley!" exclaimed Cory, shooting out of his chair as he saw his teary-eyed daughter returning to the waiting room. "Is she alright?"

"She's fine," explained Riley. "She wants to see you, but also wants me to stay."

"Why?" asked Cory, first unsure of why Maya didn't want to be alone with him but then quickly understood. "Oh."

Riley bit her lip, leading her father to the room. "Just, don't say anything about what's happened to her unless she brings it up," she informed him. "I don't wanna upset her."

"I know," said Cory, kissing the top of Riley's head. "Don't worry." He eagerly opened Maya's door, seeing a twelve year old girl crying into her hands.

She looked up, smiling to see more familiar faces. Although she was uncomfortable to be alone with him, that didn't mean that Maya didn't want to be with Cory. She actually was excited to see him due to the fact that he had been the one who had rescued her.

"Maya," he said softly, slowly approaching the bed along with Riley. "Hi, Mr. Matthews," Maya said, weakly sitting up. Cory and Riley sat beside her on her bed as Cory hugged Maya, which was awkward yet sweet for her. "It's good to see you," she sighed.

"How are you feeling?" Cory asked sympathetically, appalled by the bruises and scars on her face. "I'm fine," responded Maya, her smile fading away.

Cory gulped, looking down to the ground. "I'm so sorry," he apologized sincerely, overcome with guilt and pity for the girl laying before him. "This is all my fault."

"No, it's not," Maya reassured him. "This isn't either of your faults. If it's anyone's responsibility, it's mine. I was the one who ran away, and..."

"Don't," said Riley, seeing Maya start to weep silently. "Maya, I told you this. You don't have to talk about it." Maya bit her lip. "I do," she insisted. "I have to be able to talk to you guys."

After a few moments of silence, more words escaped Maya's lips. "Thank you so much, Mr. Matthews. For everything. I can never repay you for this. If it weren't for you I'd probably be dead right now."

Cory smiled as those words came gushing from Maya's mouth as tears were gushing from her eyes. "You can call me Cory," he said. "And your welcome."

"No, I'll just call you Mr. Matthews," said Maya, not wanting to just barge into the lives of the Matthews and change everything. Riley grabbed her hand, laughing. "Call him Cory or Dad. Your pick."

"Okay, I'll call you Cory," laughed Maya, knowing that it would be super uncomfortable calling her friend's father by 'dad'. "But really, thank you."

"Maya, it's our pleasure," said Cory consolingly. "We're so happy that you're safe."

Maya grinned from ear to ear, enjoying all of the love and attention she was receiving. "Yeah," she whispered, leaning back into her bed. "But... What about Rick?"

Riley shrugged, looking up to her father. "Dad?" she asked. Cory smiled, sighing of relief. "He was arrested, Maya. Don't worry."

Maya exhaled heavily, feeling relieved. "Phew," she sighed. "Okay, thanks. And... My mom was arrested too, right?"

"Yes," answered Cory, unsure of whether his tone should have been happy or sorrowful. "No one can hurt you now, Maya. But are you alright?" "Yeah," said Maya. "I have to stay for more tests and scans which I'm nervous about, but the nurses said that I'll be good to go by Saturday."

"It'll be alright," said Riley, consolingly rubbing Maya's hand. "And you'll be able to come for dinner at my grandparents Saturday night!"

Maya bit her tongue, feeling guilty about intruding on their family gathering. "I don't want to interrupt-" "You won't interrupt anything, Maya," said Riley, cutting Maya off. "Grandma and Grandpa will be thrilled, right Daddy?"

"They already are," said Cory, grabbing both Maya's and Riley's hands. "Do you need to talk about anything, Maya?"

Since she couldn't find the words to explain all that has happened to her, tears could only escape Maya's eyes as she buried her face into her hands once more. Cory and Riley exchanged a worried gaze, and when Maya wasn't looking, Riley apologetically mouthed "she was raped."

Tears shot to Cory's eyes as he realized that his worst fears about Maya's disappearance were coming true. "Is she..." he mouthed. He couldn't go on, but he knew that Riley would understand the point that he was coming across.

His short rush of anxiety was released as he saw Riley shake her head, telling him that Maya wasn't pregnant. But that would never take away the fact that she had been raped, and the fear and trauma would always linger behind her.

"Maya," cooed Riley, locking her arm around Maya's neck. "We're here. You don't have to be afraid anymore."

Maya swallowed hard, trying to redeem herself. Every muscle in her body was shaking as she finally managed to speak. "I only had 24 hours left," she choked. "He was about to kill me and then you came. It was really a miracle. I-I just c-can't believe it."

Cory and Riley sighed in unison, both letting tears fall from their eyes. "The chances of us saving you were one in a million," added Riley. "But we got lucky."

"And it wasn't Rick," wept Maya, twiddling her thumbs underneath her blanket. "It was my mom. She told him to do this to me."

"I know, I found out in the phone call with you and Rick," Cory said quietly, stroking Maya's hair comfortingly. However, he was alarmed by Maya's sudden and frightened reaction.

"Stop it!" she shrieked, shaking her hands and feet. She could remember Rick pervertedly stroking her hair the same exact way before he had raped her, and she couldn't help but get defensive. "Don't touch me! Get away! Please, just don't hurt me!"

Filled with guilt and sorrow, Cory immediately pulled back his hand. "Maya, what's wrong?" he asked sternly, wanting to know why Maya was getting so shaken up so he could help her. "What did I do to upset you?"

"I'm- I'm sorry," said Maya, looking down with shame. "You didn't do anything wrong. It's me. I'm just still scared because Rick did that to me while he... While I was getting..."

"I get it," mumbled Cory, feeling bad that Maya would think that he would violate her in the same way that the man who had kidnapped her had done. "You don't have to say it if you don't want to."

Tears involuntarily made their way down Riley's face. _This isn't the Maya who I know_, she told herself. _She really must be an emotional wreck_. "Maya," was all that she would let slip from her lips.

"Riley, don't cry," Maya said, resting her head on the crock of her best friend's neck. "I'll be alright."

"No, you won't!" cried Riley, letting her emotions take control of her entire body. "You're gonna heal physically, but that won't ever change what happened to you! It'll always be a part of you; a part of us! Let's face it, Maya. Things will never be the same."

After a few moments of taking in what Riley had just said, Maya began sobbing into her hands once more. "I know!" she agreed, shaking her head. "But maybe you should just put me in a foster home. You don't need these problems and you don't need me complaining about them!"

"Maya, Maya, listen to me," hushed Cory, trying to snap Maya out of her thoughts. "First of all, you're not going to a foster home. We want you, and we need you just as much as you want and need us. We're not being forced to take you in, we're deliberately choosing it. And second of all, you're not complaining. You're expressing your feelings so we can help you. You're very vulnerable now, Maya. You need our help."

Maya nodded before this time choosing to hug Cory on her own, realizing that there was nothing to fear of him. She had a special connection with him, unlike Rick. Cory was a father figure while Rick was nothing more than an abuser who made her feel dirty and violated in the end. Rick cased her suffering, the suffering that Cory wanted to put an end to.

"Thank you," she said, barely in a whisper. "I do need you guys." Cory smiled, backing away from the embrace. "And we need you," he reassured her. "You have to know that."

A nurse walked into the room, serving Maya some food. "I'm sorry," she said, trying to be nice and friendly while kicking Cory and Riley out. "But Miss Hart needs her rest, and I bet that you do, too. You're welcome to come back tomorrow!"

Cory and Riley nodded while Maya, on the other hand, moaned. "Do they have to go," she pouted, gagging from the hospital food. "Just a few more minutes!"

"Doctor's orders, Maya," teased Riley, smirking at her friend. "And that looks absolutely delicious!"

Maya shot a dirty look at Riley before giving her and Cory one last embrace before they left. "Thanks again," she said. "Tell everyone that I say hi. And promise that you'll come see me tomorrow?"

"You betcha," said Cory as he and Riley left the room. "Sweet dreams!" After closing the door, Riley hugged her father tighter than she had ever done before.

"I'm so happy," she said, beaming of joy. "You're a hero, Daddy. You know that?"

Cory raised an eyebrow, smiling. "A hero?" he gasped sarcastically. "Well, I wouldn't say that, I mean I only found her after being kidnapped for three months and rescued her right as she was about to get killed and... Yep, I'm a hero."

"Ugh, you're so full of yourself," yawned Riley, tugging her father down the hallway. "I'm so tired, let's go... Wait, are we going to Grandma's now?"

"No, we'll stay at a hotel around the corner," explained Cory, grabbing Riley's hand. "Okay," she said, squeezing her father's hand back. "You know, that was really nice, but also so sad. I don't know why."

Cory shrugged. "Yeah, I feel ya," he agreed. "It was a bittersweet reunion, right?" Riley nodded as the two made their way to the hotel to get some rest for the next day when they would be united with Maya once more.

**Sorry I hadn't updated sooner than this- I had a very, very busy weekend. Anyway, I really hope that you enjoyed this chapter! Please leave a review and thanks for reading! Xoxoxo**


	12. Never The Same

**AN: Hey everyone! Thank you so, so, so much for all of the outstanding reviews. The support is unreal. So some of u may have heard about the anonymous Rick Twitter account, but whoever made the account HartRickypicky, I'd appreciate if you would take it down. It's very disturbing and it's just not cool. Anyway, here is chapter 12! Hope u enjoy :)**

**Disclaimer: hmm... Do I own girl meets world? I don't think so...**

Maya smiled inwardly as she looked inside the locked that Riley had given to her the day before. There was a picture of the two of them hugging, both looking innocent and carefree. She sighed, closing the locket. Although she looked happy in the photograph, Maya knew that at the time she was anything but happy. "Things haven't changed, have they?" she mumbled under her breath.

She groaned, vacantly looking around the empty hospital room. No nurses, no visitors, no anyone. All that she wanted was the company that she had been awaiting all morning. It was only 9:45 in the morning, but Maya didn't have much time to rest with all of her treatments and tests.

"What's happening with my life?" she wondered aloud as she stared blankly at the ceiling. She wasn't sure whether her life was taking a turn for the better of worse, but all she knew was that nothing would ever be the same. Her relationship with Riley, her reputation, the way that people treated her- everything would be different. And Maya wasn't so positive that she'd like it that way, and she knew for a fact that neither would Riley.

_It's gonna be so awkward when I see people again_, she thought to herself, tossing and turning on the bed. She knew that people would throw a pity party for her when she returned to Manhattan, which would definitely make her uncomfortable.

Maya even felt uncomfortable when it was just Cory and Riley visiting her. She hated to see the two of them crying for her and trying to console her. They were so sympathetic and protective; it didn't feel right. It was humiliating for her to have people see her in the condition that she was in and make a big deal out of it. It was a different change of pace, since all of her life she had never known what love really was.

Looking over to all of the cards and flowers that she had received, she smiled. She was finally getting the love and attention that she deserved.

She just hoped that it was love instead of sorrow. Every night before she fell asleep while she was still kidnapped by Rick, she would imagine what it would be like if she was ever reunited with her friends again. Even though she was now living it, it wasn't how she imagined it to be.

Of course it was sweet and there were a lot of smiles, but there were also a lot of tears. She knew that Riley and Cory were happy to see her, but she wasn't sure whether the loved her or were just feeling bad for her.

"No, that's not true. Don't even think like that, they love do me," she tried to assure herself, letting tears slip from her eyes. "Why would they save me and delay their entire weekend if they didn't love me?"

She was snapped out of her thoughts as the door creaked open and saw Cory and Riley slowly walking into the room. "Good morning," said a grinning Riley as she skipped over to Maya's bed. "How're you feeling?"

"Eh," shrugged Maya, smiling back. "I'm better because you guys are here."

"Maya," said Cory, rummaging through his pocket. "The police found this for you in the cabin. I'll get you a new one since it's cracked, but here you go." He handed Maya a beaten and cracked iPhone 5s.

Maya's eyes widened, taking it from Cory's hands. "Wow," she let slip, examining the damaged cell phone. "Thanks Mr. Mat- I mean, Cory." She still had to correct herself, not used to calling him by his first name.

"No problem," said Cory, taking a seat in the chair next to Maya's bed. "How did you sleep?"

Shrugging, Maya rubbed her tired eyes. "Not too good," she yawned, stretching her arms. "I had a lot of tests and scans... Most of them when I was asleep."

Riley pursed her lips as she grabbed Maya's hand. "Aw," she cooed. "You'll be okay, right?"

Maya forcefully bit her lip, fighting back tears. "I guess so," she choked as a tear involuntarily streamed down her face. "I'm just... Scared."

"Maya, it's okay to be scared. But no one can hurt you now," Cory said as he took Maya's hand, forgetting how she would react. She ripped back her hand immediately and squeezed her eyes shut, tensing every muscle in her body. "Oh my god, Maya, I'm sorry," apologized Cory. "I forgot."

"No, don't," said Maya shakily, trying to sedate herself. "I'm the one who has to be sorry. I don't know what's wrong with me!" She slumped back onto her pillow as tears rivered down her face before wincing and saying, "please don't hurt me."

Riley and Cory both gulped heavily, sorrowfully gazing at Maya. "We'd never hurt you, Maya. And there's nothing wrong with you," assured Riley. "There's something wrong with the person who did this to you. And he won't hurt you anymore, I promise!"

"But what if he comes back?" Maya cried hopelessly. "Some lives aren't supposed to be good, and mines one of them. There's nothing that we could do about it, so you don't need to worry about me."

Cory was speechless. As much as he hated to admit it, maybe Maya was right. Her life was never classified as 'good', and since she's been through a tremendous amount of stress and trauma, that may never fade away. "Sh," he hushed, careful not to touch Maya or make her fear him. "I know that your life isn't perfect right now, but we'll get through this, okay?"

"Okay," said Maya, exhaling heavily. She knew that arguing wouldn't get her anywhere, so she just had to agree with whatever he said. "Thank you."

Riley gave a small smile, softly touching Maya's face and grabbing her hand. "You have to trust us," she said. "And if you wanna talk about anything-"

"I know, Riley," interrupted Maya, looking into her friend's eyes with shame. "It's just that..."

"That what?" gulped Riley, sensing that Maya was trying to hide something. "Maya, what is it?" Maya shrugged, avoiding eye contact with Riley. "I'm not gonna say it," she mumbled, twiddling her thumbs and curling her toes. "You'll get mad."

Cory took a deep breath, knowing that it'll take a long time to get Maya recover. "Maya, we'll never be mad at you," he said. "If you don't want to say something, don't say it."

"Well..." Maya muttered, looking down. "I hope that you guys aren't being nice to me just because you feel bad for me. I don't wanna interfere with-"

"Maya, stop thinking that you're interfering!" interrupted Riley. "And yes, we do feel bad for you, so we're being nice to you. But we wouldn't feel bad for you if we didn't love you." Cory smiled, continuing Riley's statement. "Maya, we do love you."

Maya was beaming, letting tears roll down her cheeks. "You do?" she sniffed, wiping away her tears.

"Yes," said Riley, engulfing her friend in a loving embrace. "You're not my friend; you're my sister. You don't know how devastated I was without you."

"Really?" asked Maya, unable to stop smiling. "I never knew what it was like to be loved."

Riley and Cory were now tearing up, letting those words sink in. _I never knew what it was like to be loved_. It must have been terribly lonely and frightening for Maya, only twelve years old, to think that no one loved her. "Maya, we're serious," said Cory. "You're a part of this family, and you always were. You don't know how happy we all are that you're back with us."

Maya sighed heavily, overcome with a feeling she had never felt before. Her stomach had butterflies and her heart felt all warm and content. "I love you guys, too," she said softly. "It feels so good."

"Maya, we never want you to feel unloved or unwanted," added Riley. "I know that you've felt that way before with your mother, but let's put this all behind you. We're your family, and we'll love you unconditionally."

"Oh my gosh," was all that Maya was able to let escape from her lips. "Thank you so much."

"So do you feel better now?" asked Cory, hoping that Maya's response would be '_yes_'. He knew that it would take a long time for Maya to recover permanently, if that was even possible, but he also wished that she was semi-happy.

Maya shrugged, leaning back into her bed. "I guess so," she sighed, slipping back into her saddened mood. "So... Whatcha wanna do?"

"Wanna look at pictures on your phone?" suggested Riley, putting her hands on her hips. "And delete all of the blackmail on me!"

"C'mon, buzzkill," joked Maya, taking a picture of Riley on her phone to add to her collection of hideous pictures of her friends. "Ooh, that's a funny one!"

Riley groaned, however she was happy that Maya was finally acting like her old self again. "Hey, delete it!" she begged, fighting to pull the phone out of Maya's hands. "Okay, okay, I will," Maya huffed, giving in and calming Riley down. "Chill."

As she clicked onto her photos, Maya recognized a video that she had never seen before. She gulped, seeing Rick's menacing face on the cover. Nudging Riley, she felt like she had forgotten how to breath. "Riley," she gasped, turning dizzy.

"What is it?" asked Riley, oblivious to why Maya became so speechless until she noticed the video. "Oh my god, Maya."

"C-Cory," sputtered Maya, gesturing him over to see her phone. "There's a v-video on my phone. It's- its of Rick."

Cory's eyes widened with concern, ripping the phone from Maya's hands. "What?" he shouted, startling both Maya and Riley. He had gone straight from caring and comforting to angry and clearly pissed off. "I'll kill that asshole! Should I play it?"

"Let me see it," whispered Maya, feeling her heart beat rapidly in her chest. "I need to."

"Maya, no, you can't!" shrieked Riley, squeezing Maya's hand. "You'll get emotional again!" Maya's soft and frightened eyes turned violent and manic, staring right into Riley's innocent ones. "Like I'm not emotional already! It's my life, and I need to see what he taped!"

"I don't think that either of you should watch it," Cory said under his breath, trying to be as sensitive to Maya's feelings as possible. "Maya's been through too much."

Maya rolled her eyes, reaching for her phone. "Well, I've already experienced it physically. I already know what's gonna happen, so please! Just let me watch it!"

"Okay, fine," Cory reluctantly agreed, not wanting to erupt an disagreement. "But if it's too much for you, then I gotta turn it off."

He bent down next to the bed as Maya braced herself. "I'll be fine," she assured him. "Besides, I need to know what he's saying."

"You ready?" said Riley nervously, clutching Maya's hand. "Y-yes," Maya answered with a tint of uncertainty in her voice. "Play it."

Taking a deep breath, Cory pressed play and swallowed hard. _She shouldn't be watching this_, he reminded himself, however decided not to argue with her. _But she's already so emotional, I can't fight with her._

The video started with Rick recording himself, talking to the camera. At once, tears involuntarily streaked down Maya's face as she nervously bit her fingernails. "Maya, don't watch this," insisted Riley, but Maya shook her head. "No, I have to."

"Hello, Maya," said the deep and masculine voice as the man in the video was cracking his knuckles. "You're probably watching this if you somehow escaped, which we both know will never happen so I guess you'll never watch this."

Cory swallowed hard, elbowing Maya gently. "He was wrong, don't listen to that part," he whispered. "I know," Maya choked, digging her fingernail into her thumbs to resist crying.

"But if you somehow do, your fears aren't over. Why, do you ask? Well, I've been to prison six times and escaped twice, so I'll probably be back for you soon. I bet you miss me, don't you?" Maya immediately shook her head, wiping her eyes. "I don't!" she shrieked at the cracked screen of her phone. "I hate you! I don't miss you at all!"

"Maya, calm down," said Riley, resting her hand on Maya's shoulder. "If you really want to watch this, then watch it. But I don't think that you should."

In the video, Rick laughed, picking the camera up. "Let's see what we're up to now, eh?" he said chillingly, causing the hairs on Maya's arms to shoot up. Oh no, she thought to herself, hoping that this video only contained 'B'.

Rick opened a wooden door, and the three gasped in unison to see Maya hysterically crying on a cot in the corner of the room. "I didn't know that he was taping this," Maya whispered under her breath.

The camera was placed down, and the Maya in the video asked why Rick had her phone. "Oh, I was just looking at your pictures and sending your contacts to my phone, in case I want to pay them a little phone call," said Rick, who was intimidatingly approaching the whimpering and helpless Maya, trying to back away from her captor. "Are you ready for some fun?"

"I'm stopping it!" bellowed the aggravated Cory, pausing the video. His blood was boiling and his nostrils were flaring, infuriated with this man for ruining the life of an innocent 12 year old. The last thing that anyone needed to see was poor Maya getting beaten or raped before their very eyes.

"Please do," wept Maya, covering her face from embarrassment. "This is so humiliating!"

"Humiliating for Rick, not for you," snarled Riley, whose face was also wet with tears. She didn't want to watch another second of the video, knowing that whatever happened next wasn't good. "Maya, there's nothing to be ashamed of!"

Maya buried her face into her hands, not knowing what to feel or say. "Yes, there is! I'm so stupid and weak! I hate myself!"

"But there's nothing to hate," said Cory, feeling hopeless. He knew that no matter what he'd say, Maya would still be terrified and unstable. Her experiences were most definitely traumatic, so he had to understand and out himself in Maya's shoes.

"Oh yeah?" defended Maya. "Look at me! I'm skin and bones! I'm hideous! Not to mention the fact that... That... That I'm not a virgin anymore."

Riley wasn't sure what to say. She knew that Maya was no longer a virgin, but she was raped. She never wanted anything that had ever happened to her, neither did she deserve it. "But Maya," she said quietly, stroking Maya's hair. "That isn't your fault!"

Maya shrugged, realizing that Riley was right. She uncover her face to show that she wasn't as ashamed, but that didn't mean that her pain and emotional suffering was reduced. "I know," she admitted. "But I still feel filthy and violated."

"And that's why we'll make sure that he'll never get to you again," said Cory. "I've failed three months ago, but I'll do my best to protect you from anything, alright? That's all in the past now. You're safe with us. Of course it'll take time to heal and the trauma will never fade away, but neither will our love for you, okay?"

Sighing heavily, Maya sat up straight. "You promise?" she asked meekly, grabbing both Riley's and Cory's hands. "I promise," confirmed Cory. "We're just so sorry about everything."

"Oh, please," said Maya, showing a slight smile. "Don't be. If it weren't for you I'd be dead, Cory. You saved my life. How many times do I have to tell you that?"

Cory shrugged, smiling back. "I dunno. But we're a team, and we'll never lose again, right?"

"Right," said Riley, wiping away a tear. "Are you okay?"

Maya shrugged, massaging her temples from all of the stress. "I don't know," she choked up. "I mean, what if he does escape? He'd done it before, so what makes us think that he won't do it again? And he said that he has my contacts now! What if he does get out of jail and calls one of us and..."

"Maya, trust me," said Cory, his tone serious yet concerning. "I'm showing that video to the police for evidence, details and as a warning in case Rick is planning on breaking away. But if that guy escapes prison and tries to get his hands on you again, he'd have to get past me first. And believe me when I say that he won't escape. He'll be locked up real good for what he did."

"Alright," Maya mumbled, tucking a strand of loose hair behind her ear. "But what if he does? Then what?"

"Then I'll kill him with my bare hands," Cory stated confidently. "Maya, you have nothing to fear. As long as you're with us, no one can hurt you."

Taking a deep breath, Maya nodded. She had to put all of her faith into Cory and the Matthews family, no matter what doubts she had in mind. "I believe you," she sighed, biting the bottom of her lip. "Thank you."

Riley smiled, wrapping her arm warmly around Maya's neck. "Good," she sniffed, trying to control her tears. "I just wish that I could have the old Maya back. I'm so sorry."

Maya and Cory exchanged saddened glances, knowing that all Riley wanted was for her best friend to feel better. "I wish that too, Riley," said Cory. "But it'll take some time."

"He's right," said Maya softly, her sparkling and innocent eyes looking int Riley's bright brown ones. "I'll get better, but not as quickly as I'd like. And I'm sorry, Riley. But the only thing that I know is that things are never gonna be the same."

**Thats it for chapter 12! Even though Maya's currently safe, that doesn't mean that the story is over, cuz it's not. Anyways, thanks for reading and please leave a review! Xoxoxoo**


	13. Can I Trust You?

**AN: hey everyone! Thanks for the nonstop reviews and support- it's truly inspiring. I love you all so much and thank you so much for reading and giving me all of this positive feedback. I know that I'm updating slower than usual, but I would never forget about you guys. I have my personal life too and I don't spend every minute writing, so I apologize if I'm keeping you hanging. Anyways, here's chapter 13! Wow, we're getting pretty far into PDLM :) Btw be on the lookout for some BMW characters. Hope u enjoy :)**

**Disclaimer: What's the point of these anyway. Like seriously?**

The day came. The day that Maya had been both awaiting yet dreading ever since she woke up on Thursday evening. It was Saturday, and Maya was finally going to be welcomed back into the world outside of the four walls of her gloomy hospital room. For the first time in three months, she would be free again.

As excited as she was, Maya was also nervous. She was afraid of how everyone would treat her once she saw them again. The last thing that she wanted was to be treated like she was needy or homeless, but she also needed people to show concern and sympathy.

Since the ones that Maya was wearing when she had been found had holes and bloodstains on them, Riley had lent her some extra clothes wear for the rest of the weekend. "Ew, you actually wear this stuff?" joked Maya as Riley had presented her choice of outfits to her. "Just wear it," groaned Riley, rolling her eyes.

Riley was happy to see a gradual recovery in Maya. She was becoming her sarcastic, outspoken and witty self at times, however at other times she seemed to be more feeble and emotional. Although she could completely understand why, she hated to see her best friend so traumatized and afraid.

After Maya had changed out of her hospital gown and into Riley's pink dress with white flowers imprinted on it, the three were ready head to Alan and Amy's house in Philadelphia.

"You ready?" asked Riley, taking her friend's hand. "Now or never," yawned Maya tiredly. She had gotten very little sleep at the hospital, not to mention the amount of rest she had while in the cabin with Rick. Most of the time she was getting beaten, fighting for her life or hopelessly staring at the ceiling, fantasizing about life at home.

"You must be exhausted," said Riley, noticing Maya's drowsiness. Maya nodded, rubbing her tired eyes and stretching the muscles in her arms. "Kinda," she mumbled as she fastened her ponytail.

"You can sleep in the car ride and then again when we get to my parents' house," said Cory as they left the room. "Let's hope that Eric isn't there yet."

Maya let a quiet chuckle, remembering stories the Cory and Riley had told her about Eric and his so-called manic and crazy self. "Yeah, I gotta catch up after three months of not sleeping," she sighed, a bit exaggerating on that remark.

"You didn't sleep at all?" gasped Riley, her eyes widening. "Are you serious?" "Well, I did get some sleep- just not a lot," Maya clarified as she wiped a smile across her face. "I bet you didn't either."

Riley blushed, feeling embarrassed since Maya was right; she didn't get much rest with Maya gone. She had nightmares, anxiety, and every night she would toss and turn on her bed, hoping that her friend would be okay. She would have dreams that Maya was dead, which always struck her like a bullet. After those dreams, she would wonder if Maya really was gone.

"Not really. It was hard not to stay awake when I was as worried as I was," she muttered, blowing a strand of hair away from her eyes. "I know exactly how you feel."

Maya swallowed hard. No, you actually don't, she thought to herself although didn't say it aloud. Riley was safe at home, had a caring family and she was with her friends at school while Maya was miles away from New York, didn't know where she was, wasn't sure if or when she would be found and had to deal with abuse and torture every day. Riley had no idea how she felt.

"Thanks," Maya lied in a whisper, wrapping her arm around Riley. "I'm lucky to have a friend like you."

Riley smiled inwardly. "The same goes to you," she replied sweetly. "I wouldn't be who I am right now if I didn't have you."

Maya laughed, looking down. "Then I shouldn't have come back," she said sarcastically. "'Cuz your kindness, generosity and caring self had always bothered me."

"Exc-a-use me," Riley sassed in a mock-hurt tone, about to begin mimicking Maya's old, rebellious self. "'No homework, more freedom! No homework, more freedom!'"

"Shut up, Quirky," teased Maya, elbowing Riley in the ribs gently. "I like that! That's your new nickname. Quirky."

Riley rolled her eyes, however she was overly excited to see Maya's old personality reappear, which she had known and loved. "Okay, if I'm Quirky, then you're... You're..." She had trouble figuring out a nickname for Maya, trying to choose the right word which would suit Maya well, flow nicely and not offend her. "Rebelly?"

"Rebelly?" asked Maya as she raised her eyebrows. "That's the best you can come up with?" Riley shrugged, folding her arms. "Um, yea! And Quiry? C'mon, My, that's an adjective. Not a name."

"Tck, like Rebelly is a real word," scoffed Maya, placing her hands on her hips. "Whatever, I'll just go back to calling you 'Little Plant'."

"Whatever you say," sighed Riley as they got onto the elevator and headed down to main floor.

Once they reached the lobby, Cory began signing Maya's release papers, which made her feel terrible. "I hope this wasn't too much money," whispered Maya, nudging Riley slightly.

"Don't worry about it," Riley reassured her as the two took seats at a bench near the door. "My parents would pay anything for you to be safe."

Maya sighed heavily, resting her head on the crock of Riley's neck. "You mean it?" she asked softly. Riley laughed as she felt warm teardrops on her hands. "Definitely," she answered, noticing that Maya was crying.

"Maya, what's wrong?" she asked sympathetically. She had seen a lot of tears from Maya lately, but she could never get used to it. Three months prior, the chances of seeing Maya Hart crying were less than the chances of finding Bigfoot.

"I just feel bad," Maya sniffled, wiping her eyes. "You guys have gone through so much trouble for me and I've never done anything for you. I don't want to be another burden for your family."

"You are not a burden," Riley assured her, showing half a smile. "But we want to. We love you, Maya." Maya sighed contently, hearing those words nonstop lately but could never get over how great they had felt. "I know that," she said. "And I love you guys, too."

After all of the papers were signed, Cory noticed how tired and emotional the girls were. Of course Maya's hospital bill was atrocious, but he knew that his family had gained more than they had lost. He had overheard Maya's conversation with Riley and couldn't believe she had said. She said that she didn't want to be a burden. That was the last thing that Cory would ever call Maya. It was a burden when she was missing, but she had taken the weight off of their backs when she was found.

"Who's ready to go?" he whispered as he approached Maya and Riley, both half-asleep. He didn't want to mention how Maya shouldn't feel bad- it would only make her worse.

"I am," said Riley, slowly standing up from her seat and extending her arm for Maya's hand. "Maya?" Maya took Riley's hand and stood up, stretching her arm back. "I can't waste another minute in this place," she mumbled. "Here we go!"

As the doors opened and a whiff of fresh, crisp air brushed across Maya's face, she sighed of relief and rejoice. She took in a deep breath and let it go slowly, knowing that she hadn't really consciously experienced the outdoors ever since she was taken away by Rick. "This feels good," she said to herself, closing her eyes and letting the wind blow onto her.

"Did you miss being outside?" asked Riley, noticing Maya's enjoyment. It was almost funny to see Maya so appreciative of things such as fresh air.

"Actually, no," answered Maya blankly. "I didn't really mind not being outside, but now that I'm actually here it feels amazing."

Cory laughed, resting his hands on Riley and Maya's shoulders. "I bet it does," he chuckled, leading the girls to his car. "You girls can spend some time outside when we get to my parents' house if you don't want to sleep."

"I might sleep in the car," yawned Maya. "And you have the right directions now, right?"

"Well, they must be," said Cory, unlocking his car doors. "They're not from Eric, so what can go wrong?"

For the most part, the car ride to Philadelphia was silent. Maya was sound asleep, curled up into a ball on the seat and snoring softly. Unlike the last two nights at the hospital, Maya didn't have nightmares. In fact, she was sleeping dreamlessly. She felt at peace and safe in contrary to the way she had rested for the past three months. When she was locked up in that tiny room in Rick's cabin, she would get very little sleep and when she did, she would always be alert and prepared to wake up to a smack in the face. Now she was finally able to sleep without fearing about what she would wake up to, since she would only wake up to the comforting aura of Cory and Riley's company.

Riley, on the other hand, didn't sleep at all. She sat in the back seat next to Maya, listening to a song on her iPod through her earphones. This time, she didn't listen to "For Good." She listened to a song that she felt was fitting for not her situation, but for Maya's. Maya was so traumatized and Riley had no idea what to do or say to make her feel better. Words couldn't describe what she had to explain, but she remembered a song that could indicate what she was trying to tell Maya.

Maya's blue eyes fluttered open at the sound of people honking their horns as a result of the traffic jam. "Are we almost there?" she whispered, rubbing her eyes.

"We're almost at the exit but there's so much traffic," explained Cory, smacking his hand down on the wheel as he began to get aggravated. "C'mon! What's holding everyone up? We're not even moving!" Riley and Maya exchanged silent giggles, finding humor in seeing Cory get angry.

"What are you listening to?" asked Maya curiously, pointing to Riley's iPod. "Oh, right!" exclaimed Riley, handing Maya one of her earphones. "I want you to listen to it. It's called 'Keep Holding On' by Avril Lavigne."

Maya shrugged, placing the earphone in her ear. "Play it," she requested before hearing the sounds of violins playing. "Ugh, this is one of those slow and depressing songs, right?"

"Just listen to the lyrics," commanded Riley, trying to reason with Maya. She knew that her friends taste in music was more upbeat, but that wouldn't stop her from making Maya soak in the message of the song.

_You're not alone, together we stand_

_I'll be by your side, you know I'll take your hand_

_When it gets cold and it feels like the end_

_There's no place to go, you know I won't give in._

_No, I won't give in._

_Keep holding on_

_'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through_

_Just stay strong_

_'Cause you know I'm here for you, I'm here for you_

_There's nothing you could say_

_Nothing you could do_

_There's no other way when it comes to the truth_

_So keep holding on_

_'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through_

Riley paused the song there, knowing that Maya was getting very emotional. "I'm sorry," she apologized, feeling bad if she made Maya feel worse. "I just-"

"Thank you," interrupted Maya, fighting back tears. "That was slow and depressing, but I needed that." "I'm here for you," said Riley, grabbing Maya's hands. "Will you hold on?"

Maya smiled weakly, squeezing Riley's hands back. "I'll hold on as long as you do with me," she said softly, her bright eyes glistening with tears. "You're my best friend, and I love you."

"You're not my best friend," said Riley, causing Maya's eyes to widen with shock and disappointment. "What?" she gasped, softly pulling her hand back. "Maya, you heard me clearly," Riley continued, trying to ease Maya down. "You're not my best friend. You're my sister."

"Thanks, sissy," giggled Maya, letting a tear stream down her cheek. "You okay?" Riley shrugged, wiping the tears off of Maya's face. "I'm fine. The question is are you okay?"

Maya swallowed hard, thinking the question through in her head. Was she really okay? All her life, her mother had done nothing but hurt her. Her mother had set her up to get kidnapped and taken away from her friends. And now everything was unwinding, but the pain would never erase.

"I'm always okay," Maya lied quickly, although Riley could see right past her. There was something in Maya's eyes that had shown that she was still hurting.

"Okay, Maya," sighed Riley, resting her head on her friend's shoulder. "I want you to know that it's okay to not be okay, okay?"

Maya choked back a laugh, not being able to resist sniggering at the overuse of the word 'okay'. "Okay, Riley. I'm not completely okay but that's okay because everything's okay now, okay?"

"Okay, Maya."

The two didn't really talk much for the rest of the drive to Alan and Amy's house. They just stared out the window, watching the trees go by as the traffic began to flow again.

"Whoo-hoo!" exclaimed Cory as the car was able to move again, causing Riley and Maya to laugh again. "Hallelujah!" Maya joined in before slipping back into her quietness.

After about twenty more minutes, Cory sighed of relaxation as he pulled into the driveway of a place that he would call his second home. "We're here, girls," he said, noticing that Riley and Maya had fallen asleep in the back.

"Hmm?" asked Riley as her eyes battered open. "Are we there yet?" She smiled as she saw her grandparents' house next to the car, feeling satisfied that she had finally arrived at her original destination.

"Maya, wake up," said Cory as Riley shook her gently. "What?" yawned Maya, as she shot up, unfamiliar with her surroundings. "Where are we?"

"We're here, honey," Cory said softly, turning the car off. "You can sleep when we get inside." Maya cracked her knuckles and rolled her neck, trying to wake herself up. "Mmkay," she moaned groggily, opening the car door. "I can't wait to see people again."

After getting all of the bags from the trunk, the three made their way to the front door of the Matthews house and rang the doorbell. "Ma, it's me!" called Cory before he opened the door to see Amy Matthews standing at the threshold with her arms open wide.

"Hey guys!" she squealed, pulling Maya and Riley into a hug and kissing the top of their heads. "Hi, Maya!"

"It's good to see you again, Mrs. Matthews," Maya said sweetly, stepping back from the embrace. It was kind of strange for her friend's grandma to seem so excited to see her, no matter what she had been through.

Cory stepped in and gave Amy a kiss, putting the bags down. "Hey, Ma," he said before plopping himself down on the couch. "Where's Pops and Josh?"

"They're picking Eric up at the train station," said Amy, hanging up everyone's coats. "Can I get you guys anything to eat?"

"Wait a minute," said Cory in a mock-stern tone, putting one finger in the air. "You mean he gave me those crappy directions while he just took the train?"

Riley laughed, wrapping her arm around Maya. "Hey, it's a good thing that we used Uncle Eric's directions," she reminded him. "And I'm not hungry, thanks, Grandma."

"Yeah, Cory, do you regret finding me?" pouted Maya in a mock-hurt tone. She and Riley both gave him their innocent puppy dog face, wondering what he would say next.

"Oh, c'mon, Maya. Of course not!" Cory reassured her, turning the TV on. "Hmm... I wonder if any good games are on."

Amy led Maya and Riley into the kitchen, knowing that they must have been hungry or thirsty no matter what Riley said. "Do you girls want some lemonade?" she asked, opening the refrigerator.

"Sure!" said Maya, taking a seat at the table. She put her hands over her face, hoping that her friend's grandmother wouldn't recognize the scars and bruises on her face. But of course, to her disadvantage, Amy noticed that there was something wrong.

"Wait a minute," she said, putting down the pitcher of lemonade and dashing over to Maya to examine her injuries. "Oh, sweetie, I'm so sorry! I know that this must've been so hard for you!" She pulled Maya into a tight embrace, engulfing her in the motherly embrace that she had needed. "I'm so happy that you're safe now! Listen, I know that you might not be comfortable, but I'm always here if you need to talk, okay?"

"Okay," smiled Maya, pouring herself a glass of lemonade. "Thank you, Mrs. Matthews." Amy grinned, carefully pinching Maya's cheek where there were no bruises along with Riley's. "Call me Grandma," she said as she brought some chocolate chip cookies to the table.

"And how's everything with you, Riles?"

"Perfect," said Riley, taking a sip from her glass and eyeing Maya. "Now everything's perfect again."

"Yeah," Maya sighed, showing a small smile to Riley. "Not perfect, but better."

After they finished their snack, Riley knew that a lot of people were coming over for dinner and didn't want Maya to feel uncomfortable with her battered and beaten face.

"Uh, Grandma? Is Aunt Morgan here?" she asked, hoping that Morgan would be able to help fix Maya up.

"I just got out of the shower, Riles!" called a feminine voice from upstairs. "You can come up!"

"Oh, Maya!" squealed Amy, an idea sparking in her mind. "Maybe Morgan can put some makeup on you to hide your cuts!" Riley smiled, taking Maya's hand. "I was thinking the same thing," she said, pulling her friend up the stairs.

"Riley, I doing need a makeover," Maya insisted, but Riley didn't take her remark into consideration. "You kinda do! Do you want a lot of people to see you like this?" asked Riley, knocking on the bathroom door. "Aunt Morgan?"

"Hang on a sec," said Morgan before opening the door to see Riley and Maya. "How are you guys?" Riley gave Morgan a warm hug, happy to see her aunt again. Maya felt awkward standing there until Morgan forgot that she was the girl who had gotten kidnapped and abused, so she felt the need to give her an embrace as well. Besides that, she was her niece's best friend and they've met before, so of course she would have given her a hug anyway.

"Hi, Maya," she said consolingly, wrapping her arms around Maya. "I'm so sorry. How are you feeling?" "I'm alright," replied Maya, careful to say 'alright' instead of 'okay' due to the mini-disagreement with Riley before. "How are you?"

Morgan smiled, walking down the hall to her old bedroom where she still slept when she would spend the night at her parent's house. "I'm great, thank you," she said.

"So, what's up, Riley? It seemed urgent." Riley placed her hands on Maya's cheeks and looked Morgan in the eye. "This is what's up," she said very seriously, causing a laugh to escape from Maya's mouth. "You're not too hot, yourself," teased Maya, smacking Riley's shoulder softly. "Morgan, you don't have to-"

"I'll give you a makeover!" interrupted Morgan, rummaging through her drawers for her makeup bag. "It'll be fun, Maya!"

Maya groaned and folded her arms, sternly glancing over towards Riley. "Yippee," she said sarcastically as Morgan started her foundation.

Even though she covered all of the bruises and scrapes on Maya's face when she was done, Morgan felt that something was missing. She added some concealer under her eyes and around some spots where a bruise was semi-visible, but she still wanted to add some spice to the makeover.

"Okay, I'm gonna do some eye makeup and lipgloss, okay?" said Morgan as she chose a sheer and light silver to put on Maya's eyelids. After she added some eyeliner and mascara, it was Morgan's favorite and Maya's least favorite part- the lips.

"No, way!" shrieked Maya. "Okay, I already let you cake makeup onto my skin and eyes! Lipgloss just feels... Ugh!"

Riley laughed, showing Maya a tube of light pink lipgloss. "C'mon, you'll look incomplete without it!" she begged, opening the bottle and trying to force it onto Maya.

"Since when do I care about my looks?" defended Maya, giggling as she pushed Riley away. "If you touch me with that then I'll-"

"I guess I'll find out," chuckled Riley as she managed to get a smidgen of lipgloss on Maya's lip. Maya gasped dramatically, immediately wiping it off. "Riley!" she shrieked, trying to contain her uncontrollable laughter as Riley wrestled her to get her lips all glossed up.

"Ow!" yelped Maya as Riley hit her arm roughly. Although it wasn't intentional, it still hurt tremendously since her arm was still aching from Rick's abuse and torturing.

Riley gulped heavily, feeling remorseful for hurting Maya. "Oh my god, I'm so, so, so sorry! It was an accident!" she cried, clapping her hand over her mouth. "Are you okay?"

Maya smiled inwardly as she shook her arm, trying to reduce the pain. "I'm always okay," she reminded her friend. "And if it means that much to you, I'll wear the lipgloss."

"Yay!" squealed Riley as Morgan took the tube away from her. "I'll apply it lightly," Morgan told Maya as she gently painted her lips with the pink lipgloss. "Not too much," Maya said between pursed lips, hoping that she would recognize her face after Morgan was finished.

After telling Maya to rub her lips together, Morgan handed her a mirror so she could see her new and improved self. "All done!" she stated, taking Maya's hair out of the ponytail. "And wear your hair down. It's much prettier that way."

"Wow," Maya let slip after looking at herself in the mirror. The makeup looked gorgeous yet natural, unlike the way that she had expected it to be. This is really me? she wondered to herself, tucking a strand of loose hair behind her ear. For once, she felt beautiful. By the looks of herself, it seemed as if nothing had ever even happened.

"You look so pretty," complimented Riley, smiling to see how nice her friend was looking. "I can't even tell that you were... You know." She couldn't even say the word 'kidnapped', knowing how traumatic this experience was. And since she could tell that Maya was on the road to recovery, she didn't want to spoil it for her.

Maya laughed, not knowing what to do. She had never heard anyone call her pretty in her entire life- that's why her looks weren't that important to her.

"You do. You're stunning," added Morgan. "I should be a makeup artist, don't you think?"

"Totally," laughed Maya. "Thank you so much, Morgan." Morgan sighed of contentment, knowing that she has helped a distressed twelve year old feel good about herself for once in her life. "Anytime, hon," she said, wrapping her arm around Maya and Riley.

"I'm having a great day," said Maya, making Riley beam of happiness. Maya was actually having a great day? The only things that they have done so far were sign her out of the hospital, get stuck in traffic and get Maya's bruises and marks concealed with some makeup. Whatever it was, Riley was proud to know that Maya was finally having some happiness in her life.

"Really?" she asked, grinning from ear to ear like the Cheshire Cat. "Why?"

Maya shrugged, unsure of how to answer the question. She was having a really nice time that day, but she had no idea what made it so special. "I'm really not sure," she answered quite honestly. "I guess that for the first time in my life, I feel free today."

* * *

"I guess that Shawn isn't making dinner," sighed Cory gloomily, slumping down at his seat at the table. "He hasn't been answering my calls and he was supposed to be here an hour ago."

Amy rolled her eyes, putting her lasagna on the table. "Oh, c'mon, Cory!" she scolded him. "You're an adult now, not a little kid! Get over it!"

"Yeah, Core, at least Feeny'll be here any second and join us for dinner, eh?" added Eric, sitting next to his brother. "And who knows? Shawn might show up."

Cory raised his eyebrows, checking the notifications on his phone. "He hasn't gotten back to me since Thursday morning," he stated. "He probably doesn't even know about Maya yet."

Alan shrugged, joining his sons at the table along with Josh. "Does it really matter?" he questioned as he helped himself to a slice of Italian bread. "I mean, no offense but it's just Shawn."

"It's not just about Shawn," said Cory. "It's about Maya. She feels like she's intruding on a family reunion or whatever so if Shawn comes she might be more comfortable."

"She's fine, Cory," Morgan said, trying to assure her brother that Maya didn't need Shawn to make her feel better. "I was hanging out with the girls before and she seemed great! Besides, don't you think that Shawn would say something stupid to get her all worked up?"

Cory bit his lip, realizing that Morgan was right. Shawn probably would unintentionally make matters worse for Maya. And Maya didn't need someone who wasn't related to the Matthews family to make her feel better; it was unconditional love. And in that family, there was plenty of that to go around.

"Is dinner ready?" asked Riley as she and Maya stormed down the stairs after smelling Amy's homemade lasagna. "Yep," said Josh, making room for the girls at the table.

There was a tapping at the back door, causing everyone to turn around to see none other than George Feeny standing outside. As Alan got up to welcome him in, Eric chuckled under his breath and elbowed Cory softly. "Should I do the Feeny call?" he laughed.

"No, Eric, you're a grown man now, not some deranged teenager!" said Amy, feeling like she was treating her sons like they were children again.

"Oh, c'mon Mom, the kids'll love it!" begged Eric in a mocking tone. "Watch this, girls."

He stood up and as Mr. Feeny walked in, he began doing his famous 'Feeny call' in the hopes of lightening the mood for Maya and Riley after everything that had happened to them. "Hey, Feeny!" he started, causing Riley to roll her neck out of humiliation and Maya to laugh hysterically. "Feeny! Fee-hee-hee-hee-hee-nay! Feenay!"

Mr. Feeny chuckled inwardly, patting Eric on the back. "I missed the Feeny call," he admitted before making his way over to the table to join the family. "Thank you for inviting me over, Amy."

"Anytime, George," said Amy, gesturing him to take some lasagna. "Have a seat!"

"Mr. Matthews! I see you're back from the Big Apple!" greeted Feeny, recognizing Cory and Riley, however not Maya. "And Riley! It's great to see you!"

Riley showed half a smile, feeling strange since Maya had never met Mr. Feeny. "It's good to see you, too," she mumbled before taking a bite out of her dinner.

"And you must be Maya Hart, am I correct?"

Maya nodded, afraid of what Feeny would say next. She had heard that he was very wise and whenever you had a problem, he would try and fix it. The last thing that she wanted was for someone to mention the kidnapping and try to butt into her life and fix anything. All she wanted to do was put it behind her and move on.

"Ah, yes," said Feeny, noticing Maya's timidness. "I've heard that you were joining us this evening since you were-"

Cory laughed awkwardly, patting Maya on the shoulder. "You know, Feeny, Maya's usually the student who you would call the female version Shawn Hunter," he interrupted, trying to change the subject.

Feeny raised his eyebrows, taking a sip out of his water. "So I've heard. Is Mr. Hunter coming tonight?"

Alan took a deep breath, unsure of why Shawn had never shown up. "Well, he was supposed to, but I guess not," he explained before someone began pounding on the back door.

"Nope, I'm here!" called Shawn from the outside as Cory shot up out of his seat and sprinted over to open the door. "Shawn's here!" he yelled.

"Cory!" shouted Shawn as he was let in, hugging his old friend. "Shawn!" Cory shouted back, feeling happy that Shawn had finally come. "Why didn't you answer my calls?"

Shawn shrugged, plopping himself at the table and helping himself to some lasagna. "My phone's dead and I'm just too lazy to charge it," he answered quickly. "Was there so important that I just had to know about?"

Before Cory could explain the whole story about finding Maya, Shawn brushed him aside to say hello to the family. "Mr. Matthews! Mrs. Matthews! Morgan! Eric! Josh! Feeny! Riley! And... Who are you again?"

Cory bit his upper lip, hoping that Shawn wouldn't say something dumb and make Maya upset again. He knew Shawn, and Shawn would be pretty oblivious to the situation.

"Oh, I'm Maya," said Maya, nervously introducing herself. "Maya Hart."

Shawn's jaw dropped and his eyes widened, recognizing that name. "Maya Hart," he whispered. She was Riley's best friend who was abused her entire life and was later reported kidnapped. Was this really the Maya that he had in mind?

"You're the girl who-" he started, but Cory felt the need to cut him off. "Shawn," he coughed, trying to prevent his friend from mentioning Maya's kidnapping. "Oh," mouthed Shawn, understanding that he should be sensitive towards Maya's feelings in spite of the fact that he was unsure of what was happening.

"You're- you're the girl who set off the fire alarms at school, right?" Maya pursed her lips, sensing that Shawn had no idea that she was found. "Yes, sir," she mumbled. "And you're the one who blew up the mailbox."

The entire table began laughing at Maya's remark, remembering the times when Shawn had gotten himself into trouble. "Yeah, Shawn, you ran away and snuck into our house for a few days," said Alan.

Maya's stomach turned sick and she slouched down into her chair at the sound of the words 'ran away'. Although it wasn't for long, she herself was considered a runaway. And if she hadn't ran away, she would have never gotten kidnapped.

"Maya, honey, are you okay?" asked Amy, snapping Maya out of her thoughts.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine," lied Maya, feeling unable to look into Amy's caring and worried eyes through her own ones that were filled with fear and regret.

"Are you sure?" asked Josh as he passed the basket with Italian bread over to Maya. Maya rolled her eyes, wishing that everyone would stop badgering her about how she felt.

"Yes, I'm fine!" she snapped, feeling like she always had to repeat herself.

"Okay," said Eric calmly, feeling that the subject should be changed. He remembered Cory telling him that Maya had run away before she was taken away. "Are you excited to go back to school?"

"Phhh, no," laughed Maya, blowing some hair away from her eyes. "Is that even a question?"

"So, girls, let's cut to the chase. Is Mr. Matthews a good teacher?" asked Feeny, fastening his glasses. "Of course, he can't be too bad. Some of my wisdom must have rubbed off on him."

Cory raised his eyebrows and rolled his neck as Riley and Maya exchanged confused looks and said, "ehhh."

"It's convenient that you guys live together now," teased Morgan. "Maya will me catching up 24/7, right?"

Maya groaned, massaging her temples. "Don't even mention it," she muttered. "I'm dreading it."

Shawn laughed, gently smacking Maya and Riley's backs. "Yeah, you girls go upstairs and Riley, you help her study," he said in a mock-demanding tone. "You want Cory to give you an A, right Maya?"

"No," Maya whispered in a shaky breath. Why would Shawn even ask if Maya wanted 'the A'? She thought that she would come back and be safe, but at that moment everything had changed. Her heart starting thumping rapidly in her chest and her skin turned bone white. "No, I don't! I don't want the A, I don't!"

"Maya, what's wrong?" asked Riley nervously, sensing that something was wrong with her friend. "Don't you want my dad to give you an A?"

"No!" shrieked Maya, popping out of her seat and throwing her slice of bread at Cory. "Of course I don't! Why would you even think that I would want that?"

Shawn gulped heavily, unaware of what was wrong with what he had said. "Are you alright?" he asked, glancing over to Cory and mouthing "what happened?"

"I don't know," Cory mouthed back. Why was Maya freaking out? All that Shawn had asked is if she wanted an A on her tests and papers.

"I thought that you were different, Cory!" cried Maya, pacing around the kitchen. She was shaking from head to toe and wasn't sure what she should do. All that she knew was that she couldn't stay in that room any longer. "You know, you and Rick aren't that different after all! I thought that I could trust you! But I was wrong, wasn't I."

Without further ado, Maya had frozen for a moment before storming out of the room and leaving the kitchen speechless.

"What's wrong?" asked Josh. "All that you asked was..."

"Riley, do you-" asked Cory, looking at his daughter deeply in the eyes. Maya had said that he was no different than the man who had kidnapped her, which had struck him hard. What was wrong with asking if she wanted an A from him?

"I don't know," gasped Riley, letting everything that had just happened sink in. "I'm gonna go talk to her. Riley ran into the kitchen just in time before Maya could walk out of the front door.

"Freeze, Maya," she commanded. "What happened?"

Maya turned around with tears streaming down her face. "Riley, I'm not so sure if I can trust your dad anymore," she wept, trying to redeem herself. "Shawn was joking about your dad giving me the A, and-"

"But what's so wrong about getting an A?" asked Riley obliviously. "Isn't that a good thing?"

"No! It's not a good thing!" screeched Maya before acknowledging that she hadn't explained 'A and B' to Riley yet. She took a deep breath before taking Riley's hand and prepared to share the story with her. "Okay, we need to talk. Let's go upstairs."

"O-okay," stammered Riley. She could tell that something was really wrong.

After they had gone up to Cory and Eric's old bedroom, Maya had braced herself and told Riley all about her traumatic experiences with Rick's code names. She felt horrible as her friend's eyes began to swell up with tears and letting them roll down her cheeks.

"Oh, Maya," was all that Riley could say before pulling her friend into an embrace. "Shawn had no idea- I had no idea! We're so sorry!"

"Don't be sorry," said Maya softly, choking back heavy sobs. "I should have told you and this would have never happened. I'm sorry for freaking out."

Riley showed a small smile, taking Maya's hands. "You threw a piece of bread at my dad," she sighed, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. "But I get it. I can tell my dad if you want me to."

"I just don't feel too comfortable talking to your dad about rape," Maya admitted, avoiding eye contact with Riley. "You know. He's a guy and we're girls."

"I understand," cooed Riley, wrapping her arm around her friend's neck. "But you can trust my dad. You have to!"

Maya sighed, closing her eyes tightly. "It's hard, Riley. You don't know how difficult this is for me." "I can only imagine," replied Riley before there was a light knocking at the door.

"Maya?" said an older and raspier voice. "It's Mr. Feeny. Do you wanna talk for a minute?"

"Come in."

The door slowly creaked open and Feeny only poked his head inside, not bothering to come in. "Maya, I don't know what happened and everyone agrees that you don't have to explain if you don't want to," he said gingerly. "So I'm gonna make this my shortest lecture yet. No matter what, you can always trust us. We have your back Maya, and Cory is your biggest advocate here. Trust him."

**Will Maya trust him? Let's see! Anyways, thanks for reading and please review :) **


	14. Home Sweet Home

**AN: Hey everyone! Thank you so much to everyone who followed, favorited and/or reviewed PDLM. But as I have been saying, the story is really only beginning. And to whoever made the Rick account, I seriously don't care anymore but please delete it, it's getting really old. But you obviously aren't listening so whatever. Anyways, here's chapter 14 and I hope u enjoy :) Btw, MayaFriarAllyMoon- Where can I find that picture? XD**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything but PDLM. Enough said.**

Silent was the only word that you could use to describe the trip home from Philadelphia. No one spoke much word since the moment that they had buckled their seat belts and started for their destination- New York City. Saturday had been a rough night, especially after Maya's meltdown when Shawn had obliviously mentioned getting an A, meaning it as in a test result; not in a perverted way. Ever since that moment, the rest of the weekend was awkward and everyone (especially Maya) was sensitive and touchy.

Riley had explained to the rest of the family why her friend had freaked out after Maya told her about Rick's perspective of 'A' and 'B'. Even she was dumbfounded when she saw her Maya throw bread at her father and storm out of the kitchen when Shawn had only asked if she wanted to get an A on her test. It seemed like an innocent question, but it wasn't to Maya since her innocence was taken away from her. The way that she had progressed emotionally was like a roller coaster; it would go up and up until it reached it's peak and then it would drop acceleratingly.

Shawn had felt terrible when Riley told him what A had meant to Maya. The last thing that he wanted was to make her fear that all that had happened to her would be repeated, especially by Cory. Cory would never violate her in any way that her kidnapper had, but he was responsible for reducing the trust that Maya had for him.

Thoughts had soared throughout Maya's mind ever since Mr. Feeny had given her the short but meaningful lecture on how she should trust Cory. She really wanted to trust him, but some part of her just couldn't. After all that she had been through and for what Shawn had said, it was almost impossible. Even before Shawn had made that comment, Maya was on the fence about relying on Cory. Some of the things that he would say or do would remind her of the sexual things that Rick would do to her no matter how different they were. And she trusted Rick in the past, but he hurt her. Cory was different, but she learned that you can't trust anyone so deeply anymore.

When Katy began dating Rick, he actually seemed like a nice guy. He had never witnessed Maya being abused by her mother, he would buy her presents and he made the depressed and hopeless girl think that maybe Katy would learn from him that it's better to love than to hate. Rick would take her to baseball games and to Coney Island when her mother was at work and at first, Maya thought that he was like the dad that she had never experienced. Since Katy disliked her because she didn't have anyone to help raise her, maybe Rick would help mend the relationship between the mother and her daughter.

Then came the night where everything changed. Katy was about to kill Maya and Maya did what any other person would do if they were in her position- run away. All of her hopes and dreams faded away that night and her trust for anyone dissolved. When she encountered Rick, she couldn't even trust him, the man whom she had thought loved her and enjoyed being with her. He loved Katy and Katy hated Maya. There was something mysterious about him that night and Maya could practically smell danger in the air when she had recognized his face.

He told her that he didn't know that she was abused. He reached out to hug her, making it seem like he would be supportive and sympathetic towards her. But Maya's emotions were running high that evening and wouldn't go near him, this time trusting her heart instead of the history of their relationship. All that she knew was that Rick Daniels' intentions were not as he had explained them to be.

She tried to run, but he pulled her back and broke the news to her; he had known that Katy abused her physically and emotionally. As a matter of fact, he would much rather join in the taunting but instead put on a nice face and pretended to be a caring and fatherly guy. He would do anything to continue Katy's 'legacy', so he agreed to 'take care' of Maya when his girlfriend was in jail. And Maya realized that she could no longer trust Rick.

But she relied on him, and he betrayed her in the worst way possible. Now she was afraid to throw all of her trust to Cory since she'd been hurt in the past. Especially since Shawn had (unintentionally) made her think that he would rape her, there was no way that things would be the same between them.

Maya sighed, staring out the window when they first got on the highway for Manhattan. All weekend, she only had one request; to see Topanga. She got to speak with Amy, Morgan, and Riley about her experiences but she needed a mother to share her feelings with. They were able to communicate over the phone, but Maya just didn't feel like they would make the mother/daughter connection unless they met in person.

Although they weren't related by blood, Maya had always seen Topanga as a motherly figure. Her own mother couldn't care less about her whereas Riley's mom would force her to eat breakfast, constantly convince her to do the right thing and no matter what the circumstance was, she would always show her the unconditional compassion and support that Maya had never known from anybody else. And at a time like that, she needed that motherly care and sympathy more than anything else in the world.

Riley looked over to see Maya sitting next to her. Normally, she would have chosen the passenger seat but needed to show her friend some company even if it meant simply sitting beside her. Of course she was over the moon excited that Maya was safe and with her again, but she was noticing a change in her and wasn't sure if she liked it.

She didn't like how Maya didn't trust Cory anymore. Couldn't she see how much they were all striving to make her feel better? She would always say that she would never get better and that she had gone through so much but would then say that she wanted to move on and put what had happened in the past. It could have been worse- she could've been pregnant, gotten STDs or worst of all, she could have been dead. Riley didn't understand why Maya wouldn't trust Cory when he was the one who had risked his life to save hers. Did she even know how stressed out he was when she was gone?

"Maya, are you okay back there?" asked Cory, trying to break the long silence. He, too didn't like that Maya couldn't believe him when he said that he would never do anything to hurt her, but he understood why. It would take some time for her to recover from all of the damage that Rick has done to her. She was hurt so badly that she was on the verge of being broken, and broken things could heal but there would always be a scar remaining. Nothing would ever be the same.

"Yeah, I'm fine," replied Maya softly. She exhaustedly laid her head against the window, closing her tired eyes.

Riley rolled her eyes, feeling as if her father was giving all of his attention towards Maya. Of course she needed love and care, but since she wasn't too upset at the time being, they should have been receiving equal concern.

"I'm fine, too, dad," she scoffed, blowing a strand of loose hair away from her face. "Thanks for asking."

Both Cory and Maya raised an eyebrow, surprised by Riley's impertinent remark. "Well, I'm sorry, Riley," Cory apologized yet insincerely. "Is everything alright?"

Riley shrugged, gazing out the window to see other car passing theirs on the busy highway. "Yeah, I'm just saying that I'm okay, too," she pointed out.

"Riley, are you mad at me?" Maya asked worriedly, hoping that Riley wasn't upset with her. She wasn't quite sure why, but something wasn't right with her best friend.

"Of course not," lied Riley, grabbing Maya's hand. "All I was saying was that my dad could've asked me if I was okay, too."

Cory gulped heavily, becoming aware that his daughter may have been a tad bit jealous of all of the attention and care that Maya was receiving. Although he would side with Maya since she had gone through so much and needed love, he could understand how Riley may have felt treated unfairly lately. But regardless, he knew that Riley wouldn't hold that against her friend especially at a time like that and that his daughter would eventually come to her senses and realize that it wasn't unfair; it was just that Maya was very delicate and deserved some concern and generosity.

"Okay, Riley," he sighed. "Are you okay?" He decided that he would talk to Riley about that later on when Maya wasn't around since she would get very sensitive if she overheard the two talking about how Riley shouldn't be jealous. If Maya somehow got the deranged instinct that her best friend didn't love her anymore, she would go from bent to broken in the blink of an eye.

"Yes, Daddy," said Riley exasperatedly, regretting what she had said. "Just forget it."

She wasn't necessarily mad at Maya at all. If she was angry with anyone, it would obviously be Rick. Riley was only slightly bothered by the fact that everyone was fussing over Maya, and that also annoyed Maya herself. She wanted to reunite with her friends and be treated the same as she was before she went missing. All that she wanted was to move on but everyone was making it harder for her. With all of the gifts, hugging, cooing and babying, Maya was only feeling worse rather than better.

"Okay," mumbled Cory and after that, no one spoke another word for the seemingly endless car ride back to New York.

* * *

Quietness once more took over for the trip and Maya had fallen asleep as soon as they had once more hit traffic. But this time she wasn't at peace in her sleep- she was dreaming one of her worst nightmares.

_"You missed me, haven't you?" asked a deep and menacing voice as he grasped Maya's collar and yanked her in closer to him. "I recall that we had 25 minutes left."_

_"Please, just get out of my life!" whimpered Maya, unable to look into Rick's cold and ruthless stare. Tears uncontrollable poured down her cheeks and she struggled all she could to break free, but it was no use. This time, Rick wouldn't let her leave his sight alive._

_Rick sniggered, holding Maya at gunpoint. "I'll get out of your life," he said chillingly, smoothening Mayas hair back. "Because I'll end it right now." He released his finger from the trigger, a shot rang out and..._

"NO!"

Maya's eyes shot open as Cory and Riley jerked over, alarmed by the piercing scream that broke the silence. "What's wrong?" asked Cory worriedly as he put the car in park. Maya had to take a few deep breaths to redeem herself from the trauma of the dream she had just witnessed.

"He's gonna come back," she choked as she let a tear stream across her cheek. "He's gonna kill me."

"Maya, it was just a dream," comforted Riley, trying to take her friend's hand but Maya pulled it away.

"No, I just know it!" she cried, burying her face into her hands and began shaking from head to toe. "He's escaped before, so what's gonna make him think that he can't do it again?!"

Riley rubbed Maya's back consolingly, feeling pitiful that Maya had to live in fear. She felt terrible that her best friend couldn't feel safe even in the loving arms of her family.

"Shh, it's okay," said Cory. "We won't let him hurt you anymore. No matter what happens, we'll be there to protect you. Always."

Maya showed a small smile, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Thank you," she squeaked, exhaling deeply to sedate herself and realized that the car had stopped and was unfamiliar with her surroundings. "Where are we?"

"We're home," Riley told her, opening the car door. "Aren't you happy?"

"Yeah, I missed everyone so much," sighed Maya, making her way out of the vehicle. "This sounds crazy, but I even missed Missy's stupid antics!"

Riley bit her lip, knowing that Maya wouldn't feel that way for long once she heard about Brett. "So... are you feeling better now?" she asked hoping to change the subject.

"I dunno," moped Maya, slipping back into her depressed and uptight mood. "I'm just afraid of being taken away again."

"But you won't!" groaned Riley, throwing her hands on her hips. "Oh my god, its like you don't trust us!"

Cory and Maya both glared over to Riley, once more surprised by her snapping remark. "I'm sorry," she quickly apologized as tears began to swell up in her friend's eyes. "I didn't mean it like that!"

"W-why did you-" started Maya, choking on every word as she fought back sobs. She was unsure why Riley had briefly lost her temper, but it made her feel like what she feared she was becoming; a burden.

"I'm so, so, so sorry," repeated Riley, wrapping her arms around Maya. "What I meant was you're safe with us and I'll never let you go again. We let you down three months ago and this time we will never let you go!"

Maya stood there frozen, awkwardly rubbing Riley's back. "Riley, calm down," she said blankly. "Are you okay?"

Riley scrunched her eyes closed, remorseful for giving Maya the slightest attitude. "I'm okay, I don't know what got into me. I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings."

"You didn't hurt my feelings," replied Maya, backing away from the embrace. "I was just shocked that you'd go off on me like that."

"So was I," whispered Riley, turning away from her friend. She felt really bad about it, but when Maya said that she was shocked that Riley would go off on her, she was a bit aggravated again. Did she expect special treatment even when she said that she wanted to move one? Riley was terribly sorry for all that happened to Maya- she was just unsure of what her friend wanted. Did she want sympathy or equality?

After retrieving all of their luggage from the car, the three made their way to their apartment. "Maya, we got all of your clothes a few months ago so you're all moved in," said Cory as they got on the elevator. "You must be ready to go home."

"I am," said Maya, biting her lip anxiously. She was ready to go home, but wasn't sure where her home was. She would call the Matthews' apartment her home, but only if she was truly welcomed there. _Maybe they don't even want me to live with them_, she wondered. _Maybe they just feel bad for me. I hope that's not it._

She was snapped out of her trance when she found herself standing in front of the apartment with the door already opened. Looking up, she saw the loving face that she'd been awaiting to see ever since she was rescued._  
_

"Maya!" exclaimed Topanga, wrapping her arms around Maya and engulfing her in a motherly embrace. "Oh, it's so good to see you!"

"It's great to see you, too," replied Maya sweetly, slightly wincing from the compact of the embrace and the bruises and scars on her back. Luckily, Topanga quickly noticed and took caution of that.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! Do you want anything? Ice, a heating pad, a drink, snacks, anything?" asked Topanga, leading Maya over to the couch and sitting her down. "And if you wanna talk about anything, you know... feel free to. I'm here for you, okay, babe?"

Maya smiled, admiring all of the attention and concern coming her way. As much as she wanted to move on and be treated the same, she enjoyed being cooed over by Topanga. It was different from Cory or Shawn feeling bad for her; this kind of motherly compassion was nicer in an unexplainable way.

"I'm okay for now, but thank you," she said before Topanga changed from brave and comforting to an emotional wreck before her very eyes. "I'm so sorry," she sobbed, pulling the girl into another embrace. "Oh, Maya!"

"Mom, we're home, too," said Riley, interrupting the little reunion. "You didn't even acknowledge us."

Topanga turned around and raised an eyebrow, having a bad feeling about her daughter's tone. "Sorry, Riles," she said. "I just haven't seen Maya in three months and she's been through so much and-"

"I know," huffed Riley, hesitantly leaning in to give her mother a quick and insincere hug. "Well, then. Home, sweet home."

"Daddy! Riley!" squealed Auggie as he sprinted into the living room, ready to plant a kiss on his father and sisters' cheeks. But he noticed Maya with them, far beyond his expectations.

Maya smiled politely as she waved to her friend's little brother. "Hey, Auggie!" she greeted him, kneeling down to even her height with his. "Did you miss me?"

"What are you doing here?" Auggie asked curiously, tilting his head. "And where were you?"

"Um..." started Maya, unsure of how to answer Auggie's innocent question. She looked up to Cory and Topanga for help, hoping that whatever explanation that they had been giving their son for the past few months would be good enough.

"She went on vacation, Auggie," lied Cory.

Auggie shrugged, not exactly buying the whole vacation theory. "Then how come you were gone for so long? And how come we saw pictures of her in every store and all around town and Riley would start to cry?"

Maya gulped heavily as tears flooded to her eyes. Have posters of her really been everywhere? And had Riley really cried whenever she saw them? "Let's say that it was an unwanted vacation," she said. That's exactly what she had been on. An unwanted vacation that didn't turn out too good.

"Why?" asked Auggie, oblivious to Maya's situation. He had no idea what she had been through but was too young and naive to understand it yet.

"You know, I don't know why, Auggie," explained Maya, pinching her arm tightly to resist crying as she slowly stood up again. She couldn't fight tears anymore but couldn't let Auggie see her crying, so she knew which person to talk to. Topanga.

"Can we talk for a minute?" she croaked, turning around to face Topanga.

"Sure, honey," Topanga said worriedly. "Anything."

Cory nudged Riley gently, feeling the need to talk to his daughter about the way that she'd been acting while the others were talking about all that had happened to Maya. "Riley, I think that we need to talk, too," he whispered as Maya and Topanga made their way to Riley's bedroom.

"Dad, I know what you're gonna say," groaned Riley, fixing herself a glass of iced tea. "I'm fine!"

"Are you jealous of Maya?" asked Cory, cutting to the chase.

Riley rolled her eyes, trying to avoid confrontation with her father. "Of course not!" she said. "Why on earth would I be jealous of Maya? I'm happy she's safe, but I'm not at all jealous of her."

Cory shrugged, sitting down next to Riley at the table. "No, I don't mean jealous of what happened to her," he clarified. "I mean jealous of all of the attention that she's getting."

"No!" Riley quickly lied, covering it up by hugging her father. "No, I'm happy for her. I'm giving her a lot of attention, anyways. Why would you think that?"

"Because you've been snapping up a lot lately and especially about or to Maya, and no one likes it. Maya needs you to be yourself right now," sighed Cory, knowing that no matter what he would say, Riley wouldn't stop defending herself.

"I'm just tired, Daddy," shrugged Riley, resisting eye contact since she was awful at lying. "I'm fine, and so is Maya. Don't worry about me."

Meanwhile, Maya and Topanga were finally having their heart to heart mother/ daughter moment that they have been awaiting since the day that Maya had been reported missing.

"Sweetheart, if this is too hard for you, then don't talk about it yet," cooed Topanga, wrapping her arm around Maya's neck. "Cory told the police all that he and Riley know so you don't have to face them, okay? The last thing that you need is to be crammed with the police's questions and cameras in your face, right?"

"Right," said Maya softly, showing Topanga half a smile. "But... Was I on TV?"

Topanga laughed inwardly, her eyes glistening with heartwarming tears. "Yes," she answered directly. "You, Cory and Riley were. Too bad I wasn't there... I could've shown my pretty face on TV, huh?"

"Yeah," sighed Maya, looking down. "But now I wanna talk to you about... You know... What _he_ did."

Gulping heavily, Topanga grabbed both of Maya's hands gingerly. "Okay," she said. "I know that he... That he raped you. And I'm so, so, so sorry, honey. You don't deserve anything that he did to you. You're too good for this."

"Well, he did," Maya whispered, silently crying tears of shame with her head faced down to the floor. "And I just feel awful."

"Babe, there's nothing that you could've done to stop him!" cried Topanga, trying to calm herself for Maya's sake but it was way too hard. "I could've stopped him."

Maya bit her upper lip, not knowing what to say next. "Topanga..." she started, trying to find the right word choice. "What could you have done? Nothing! This is not your fault!"

"I know," said Topanga, exhaling heavily. "But we could've protected you more and we didn't. But just drop that. How did you feel when you were still... There?"

"Scared," started Maya. "Alone, confused, helpless, weak, stupid, and worthless."

Topanga's jaw dropped hearing Maya's last three words spoken. Weak, stupid and worthless. "No, honey, you aren't worthless! Don't ever think that!"

"That's what he told me," gulped Maya, letting teardrops river down her cheeks. "He would always tell me that no one loves me, that no one cares that I was gone and that I was a piece of... Well, he called me a piece of shit practically everyday. And I'm sorry for using that word, but that's what he used for me."

"You shouldn't have listened to him," said Topanga concernedly. "He tried to put this crap through your head so you would feel too unloved to try to escape. He wanted to break you, and he did. But we're here to fix you. Maya, you have no idea what extent we'd go to for your safety. We love you so deeply. And I know that he won't, but if that bastard somehow does escape, we're gonna continue fighting for your freedom. He won't get to you again. And don't listen to that dick. Yes, I said that. He's a prick and a dick. They both rhyme with Rick, right?"

Maya couldn't resist laughing at Topanga's last part of her little lecture. "Yeah, that's true," she giggled, taking Topanga's hand. "Thank you so much."

"No problem, sweetie," said Topanga consolingly as she kissed the top of Maya's head. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

* * *

The two talked for about another hour before heading back to the kitchen to start dinner. Topanga had planned on making chicken for supper, but Cory had almost fought her not to do that- Maya had already been through so much. Instead, she had made Maya's favorite meal, penne ala vodka.

When everyone what nearly finished with supper, they were interrupted by the sounds of Riley's ringtone going off. Riley checked her phone to see who was calling and her stomach got butterflies to see that the caller was Lucas.

"I'll be right back," she sighed as her face blushed deeply before sprinting over to her bedroom.

"She's still crushing hard on cowboy, huh," teased Maya, taking a sip from her water. Cory and Topanga both nodded, however Topanga was smiling and Cory looked like he was about to be sick.

When Riley got to her room, she immediately slammed the door, took a moment to sedate herself and calmly answered the phone. "Hello, Lucas," she said in a cool yet flirty tone.

"Hey, Riley," said Lucas from the other end of the line. "Are you guys home yet?"

"Yep, we're back!" exclaimed Riley quirkily. "Did you miss me?"

Lucas laughed and Riley could hear Farkle's voice in the background yelling "Is Maya home? Is Maya home?"

"Well, yeah, but I missed Maya more, obviously," he said, causing Riley's heart to sink. _Doesn't everyone miss poor Maya_, she thought to herself.

"And Farkle and I were wonderin' if we could stop bye to say hello," he continued. "I can't wait to see her again."

"Sure, um, you guys can come over through the fire escape to my window," sighed Riley, trying to control her slight jealousy towards Maya's attention and concern. "We'll surprise her."

"Okay," said Lucas. "We'll be over in a few minutes."

As soon as Riley heard beeps indicating that the call was over, she wasn't sure whether she was happy or upset. She was happy that Lucas seemed eager to see Maya again but was also worried that he was developing a crush on her during the time when she was gone. Riley didn't know if this was delusional of her or not, but she almost considered herself Lucas's girlfriend.

"Maya, if you're done, come in here!" called Riley from her room, plopping herself on the windowsill. "Coming!" responded Maya as Riley heard footsteps coming towards her.

"What's up?" asked Maya, taking a seat next to her friend. "And by the way, are we gonna see Lucas and Farkle over break? And possibly Brett?"

Riley's eyes widened, unsure of how to answer Maya's last question. "Um, well... Uh, turn around!"

"What?" asked Maya, raising an eyebrow at Riley.

"Just turn around."

Maya obediently turned around to see Lucas and Farkle tapping in the window and grinning from ear to ear. Tears swelled up in her eyes to see these familiar faces that she'd missed seeing for so long.

"Oh my god," she gasped before quickly opening the window so they could climb in. "Hey, guys!"

"Maya!" they both gasped in unison before piling on top of Maya to give her the biggest hugs. "I missed you guys so much," Maya wept silently, pulling Riley into the embrace. "We missed you too, toots," flirted Farkle. "More than you could ever imagine."

"How did you guys get here so fast?" asked Riley, cautiously taking Lucas's hand and pulling him in closer to her. She wanted to remind him that he was hers, not Maya's.

Lucas shrugged, taking a seat next to Riley and Maya on the windowsill. "Well, we were kinda waiting before the windowsill when we called you. We were sure you'd let us in!"

Maya laughed, wrapping her arm around Lucas's neck which made Riley feel sick to her stomach. "Well, I'm so happy to see you two again!" she giggled before her friend began snapping at her again.

"Maya!" barked Riley. "Leave Lucas alone!"

Lucas, Farkle and Maya all exchange confused glances before eyeing over to Riley. "Riley, I don't like-like him," Maya reassured her friend. "He's my friend. I'm not making a move on him or anything! I just haven't seen them in months, and-"

"Okay," interrupted Riley. "Sorry."

"I'm sorry about Brett, Maya," apologized Farkle, unaware that Maya didn't know about Brett's betrayal yet. "Missy's so evil."

Riley groaned, waving her hands in Farkle's face telling him to stop. "Wait- what?" asked Maya, a trace of suspicion rising in her voice. "What did Missy do to him?"

"You don't know yet?" asked Farkle in shock. "Well, Brett and Missy are dating."

Maya gulped heavily, letting tears shoot to her eyes. "They- they are?" she sputtered, hoping that Farkle was only joking.

"I'm sorry, Maya, we tried to stop them," explained Lucas, consolingly rubbing Maya's back. "And that's why I choked Missy in the cafeteria," Riley piped in.

"No, you choked her because she was joking about Maya possibly getting raped and making Brett happy that she was kidnapped," said Farkle before receiving an elbow from Lucas. "Ohhhhh," he said, realizing his mistake.

Maya shut her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to control her anger. "Well, then," she sighed, clenching her fists. "I guess that they'll have something else to joke about since I actually was raped."

Lucas and Farkle's eyes widened with tears, not knowing what to say next. "Maya," gasped Lucas as tears began streaming down everyone's cheeks. "I'm... I'm so sorry."

"Don't be," reassured Maya. "Rick should be sorry, Missy should be sorry and Brett should he sorry."

"Are you okay, hon?" asked Riley sympathetically. "I'm sorry... I should've told you!"

Maya smiled inwardly although she was frowning inside. "I'm always okay."

* * *

A criminal breathed heavily in the cold prison cell, tasking in his surroundings. He's been in a cell just like that one before, so he knew that escaping was a possibility. He chuckled inwardly as he thought of his intentions for when he would regain his freedom- he would take away someone else's.

For the first time in as long as he could remember, a tear leaked from his eye. There was something missing inside of him; a hole in his heart that was dug up the day that he was separated from Katy. His only true love that his tribute to was only beginning.

"I need to escape," he muttered under his breath. "But I'll wait a little while. Good things come to those who wait."

He shut his eyes tightly and smiled at the thought of what he would to when he would have hold of Katy's pathetic daughter again. Rape her? No, not that again. That was getting old. Taunt her? Yes, but only for a short while before he would end Katy's legacy on a good note. Kill her? Yes, that seemed rather delightful in his opinion.

The girl was probably feeling safe and sound with the Matthews family. "Not for long," the criminal chuckled. He had memorized the girl's phone number and the father's phone number and knew which section of New York City they lived in and what school the kids went to. The girl wasn't as safe as she probably felt.

The man sighed, deciding to get a good night's sleep. He didn't intend on escaping just yet- he needed to give it some time. But all that he knew was that the girl was devastated and would soon be dead.

"I'm coming for you, Maya."

**What did you guys think? Sorry- I know that you all must hate the bitchier side of Riley that I'm giving her. But no matter what happens next, please don't leave me (no pun intended). I'm promising you a happy ending for all of the characters... okay, except for Rick and Missy. Thanks for reading and please leave a review :)**


	15. Back to School Blues

**AN: Hey everyone! Thank you all so much for the reviews and positive feedback! I'm sorry if you all hate the new and edgier Riley (like you haven't seen it before in the story) but please continue reading; I promise that it'll get better. But of course, before it gets better it's bound to get worse. So I bet that you were all awaiting Maya's confrontation with Brett and Missy, so here you go! Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own GMW. Shocker.**

Spring break flew by and before she knew it, Maya found herself riding on the subway back to John Quincy Adams Middle School. The tests, papers, homework; she was completely dreading it. She would have to make up for three months worth of schoolwork, plus the fact that she would have to learn what everyone else was learning. Double the work, double the pain. But that meant nothing to Maya compared to what she was really nervous about- confronting her classmates again.

It would be a mixture of awkwardness and humiliation when she would reunite with the other students. Would they pester her with questions? Would they tease her? Would they whisper about her whenever she would walk by, or would they just stare at her? But worst of all, how would Missy and Brett treat her?

When Farkle had broken the news to her about Brett and Missy going out, Maya felt as if she was stabbed in the heart. Of course Brett was allowed to see other people, but it just felt wrong that out of every single girl in the school he chose Missy. There was nothing that Maya could do about it since she was never necessarily dating Brett in the first place. It seemed as if there was nothing that she could do about anything.

Riley had told her that Missy was probably just doing this to get underneath everyone's skin. It seemed like the only thing that she enjoyed doing was hurting other people, so she must have been having the time of her life. Riley wouldn't even go to the school dances when Maya was gone since she wouldn't be able to help herself from clawing the bulldozer in the pink sweater's eyeballs out.

Even the other people on the subway kept eyeing over to Maya, recognizing her from the newspapers, TV news reports and posters that read "MISSING" all over the city. Maya and Riley had even seen one of the posters that haven't been taken down yet in the subway station, to which Maya had ripped down. "I just wanna start over," she said pridefully as she tossed the paper in the garbage.

Topanga had taken the courtesy of riding the train with the girls to school for Maya's first day back just to give her a new sense of security. Although Rick was arrested, Maya needed to be shown protection since she had been very uptight ever since she was rescued. Riley wouldn't be able to control her if something happened on the way to school that alarmed or worked up her friend. Even if it was something so innocent and harmless, Maya would be sure to flip out and act all defensive.

"Maya, are you ready to go back?" asked Topanga as they got off of the subway and began walking towards the school.

"I don't know," groaned Maya, feeling very anxious and nauseous. Her skin had turned bone white and she felt as if she was about to vomit, knowing that she'd be the center of attention at school that day. "I'm nervous."

Riley smiled, wrapping her arm around her friend. "Come on, there's nothing to be afraid of," she reassured her. "What could possibly go wrong?"

Maya shrugged, biting her upper lip. "I just want people to treat me the same," she mumbled. "But that's not gonna happen."

"You'll be fine," said Topanga, grabbing Maya's hand. "I know that you will. And if anyone messes with you, Cory-"

"Won't do anything," interrupted Maya. "I need to fight my own battles. Now I have to prove that I'm no one's pushover and that just because I was kidnapped doesn't mean that I'm weak. I need to show everyone that I'm stronger now."

"That's the attitude," pepped Riley, patting Maya on the back gently, avoiding any scars or bruises. "Let's try and avoid Missy, though."

Maya laughed, rolling her eyes. "Okay, we'll avoid her, but if we do see her, I'm gonna march right up to her and tell her exactly how I feel."

"And I'll be right there next to you," promised Riley. "But just so you know, if you want people to treat you the same, don't get angry if Missy starts with you."

"Gotcha," sighed Maya, finding herself at the stairs leading to the grand school where she once went every day. Where she set off the fire alarms, got into a paint fight and simply where she was detention-bound.

Taking a deep breath, she turned around to give Topanga one last embrace before she would be reunited with all of the other students in John Quincy Adams Middle School. "Here I go," she said, gulping heavily as her heart rate increased and butterflies flew in her stomach. "I'll see you at 3:30!"

"Have a great day, Maya," said Topanga, kissing the girl's forehead. "Keep your head held high, alright? Walk in with a smile on your face and show everyone that you're the new and improved Maya Hart, okay? You're a survivor, remember? Not a victim."

"Alright," giggled Maya nervously as Riley once more became slightly aggravated. "And don't worry about me, Mom," she scoffed, turning her back on Maya and her mother. "I'll be just fine."

Topanga inhaled deeply, disliking her daughter's new attitude. "Excuse me, Riley," she said sternly, placing her hands on her hips. "But you have no idea what Maya's been through and-"

"It's okay," Maya cut her off, not wanting to begin her first day by listening to Riley and Topanga argue over her. "Riley, we should be going."

"Yeah, we should," muttered Riley, blowing a strand of loose hair away from her eyes and shooting her mother a dirty look. "Let's go."

The two girls walked into the school with full confidence but as soon as Maya saw all of the other kids in the hallway, she quickly covered her face and turned around. She couldn't face anyone after all that has happened to her.

"I can't do this, Riley," she whispered, choking back tears. "I can't face anyone again. I just can't do it!"

"Yes you can, Maya," demanded Riley sternly yet compassionately. She took Maya's shaky hand and squeezed it, letting her know that it would be okay. "You're Maya Hart. You're strong and brave. Don't let these losers intimidate you."

Maya swallowed hard, squeezing Riley's hand back. "Yeah, I'm Maya Hart. The Maya Hart who was strong enough to defend herself before getting kidnapped and brave enough to trust everyone after. If anyone's a loser here, it's me!"

"Maya, shut up," snarled Riley. "What did you say before when you threw the poster away? That you wanted to start over! You'll never start over at this rate if you don't go back to school and face these people again! Forget it with the tears. Who cares what they think? And maybe you _should_ trust us, but that's not my problem! It's yours and you're only causing problems for everyone else. Bigger problems if you don't strut through here with a smile on your face and forget that anything had ever happened, okay?"

"Riley?" gasped Maya as tears began swelling up in her eyes. She tried to fight them back but she couldn't prevent them from pouring down her cheeks after what her so-called best friend had just said. "Wha- what- why... did you just..."

Riley took a deep breath, trying to sedate herself. "I'm sorry," she sighed, throwing her arms around Maya. "It was just the spur of the moment and... And I don't know why I got like that. I'm sorry, I- I just want you to have a great day."

She needed to calm herself down, but something about Maya was just annoying her tremendously lately. Everyone was doing everything in their power to make her feel better, but she was just making it harder for them. Did she want people to show her concern or to ignore her? Did she want to have a fresh new start or coop up in a ball all day at home crying? Riley was tired of always apologizing and supporting Maya since it seemed as if she couldn't even express her feelings without having her friend break down in tears. But no matter what Maya did, Riley tried to put herself in her shoes, knowing that Maya was going through a very difficult time in her life. She just had to stand by her girl no matter how difficult it was.

"It's okay," sniffled Maya, wiping away a tear. "It just seems like you're getting mad at me a lot lately."

"It's not you," Riley quickly responded. "I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at the way that people have been treating you lately and I'm sticking up for you. It's me. I'm taking it out on the wrong person, and I'm sorry."

Maya pursed her lips, bracing herself to turn around. "Okay," she said. "I'm ready now."

It wasn't long before everyone noticed Maya and ran up to her, badgering her with all different questions. She couldn't even hear one of them clearly; the entire hallway was buzzing about Maya's reappearance.

"Guys, leave her alone!"

Maya was in shock when she felt a strong hand yank her and Riley away from the crowd, looking up to see none other than Brett Hale. "Ugh," she groaned. All that she wanted was to avoid confrontation with this idiot but now it seemed impossible to resist acknowledging him.

"Hey," he said sweetly as tons of people continued to try and pile on top of them, making an effort to get Maya to notice them. His deep blue eyes seemed sincere but Maya could see right past them. Brett was with Missy, not her. It sickened her that he would even try to win her affections.

"Oh, it's you," Maya mumbled, trying to scurry away but it was no use. She was surrounded by mobs of eager students anxious to hear all about her experiences.

Brett smiled, picking up a book that Maya had dropped. "Yeah, it's me," he said. "It's, um... It's great to see you!"

"Don't get any ideas," growled Riley between gritted teeth. "She knows what you did and what you said."

"Maya, I-" sighed Brett loudly but his voice was drained out by the ongoing questions from the crowd.

"Save it, Brett!" yelled Maya as teardrops formed in her eyes. "Just forget about it! I don't need you!"

Just before Brett could speak up to defend himself, a face very familiar and infamous to Maya appeared beside him, resting her hands on his muscular shoulder.

"Oh, Brettie," giggled Missy, noticing but not even acknowledging Maya or Riley. "I've missed you so much! Well, I saw you yesterday, but you know what I mean."

Riley and Maya exchanged sickened glances, feeling trapped next to the two 'lovebirds.' But it sickened them even more to see Missy lean in closer to Brett and press her glossy lips against his, sensing the strong passion between them.

"Are you done yet?" asked Riley nosily, trying to break the two apart for Maya' sake. Missy backed up from the kiss and turned around to see her two least favorite people in the world but favorite to annoy.

"Oh, Mia," she sighed, raising her eyebrows as she scanned Maya from head to toe. "What a pleasant surprise."

Maya smiled inwardly and shook her head. "It's Maya," she corrected her, folding her arms. "And it's good to see you as well."

Missy bit her lip, knowing that this would be a perfect moment to ruin Maya's day. "So, you must have heard about Brett and I," she squealed, clapping her hands together. "Aren't you so happy for me?"

"Oh, we're feeling very strongly of you, that's for sure," snarled Riley. "Happy? No, I wouldn't say that."

Brett gulped heavily, feeling slightly embarrassed by Missy's actions. "Um, Missy, we're missing the important thing here!" he laughed nervously. "So Maya, it's good to have you back."

"Brett, leave me alone," said Maya strictly, pointing her finger in the boy's face. "I've been through too much and don't need to deal with you right now!"

"Ooh, someone's in a bad mood," teased Missy, patting Maya on the head jokingly.

"Yeah, it'll be you soon if you don't leave her alone," said Lucas as he and Farkle appeared behind Maya and Riley after a valiant effort through the crowd. "I know that it's hard for you not to be a bitch, but this time you'll just need to try harder."

Missy's jaw dropped as she placed her hands on her hips, astounded by the words that Lucas had just spoken to her. "Brett, did you hear what he just said to me?" she gasped as she rapidly tapped Brett's shoulder. "Lucas, do you know how stupid you-"

"Missy, leave them alone, okay?" said Brett, trying to redeem Missy. "Maya's been gone for so long and-"

"Boo-hoo, like you care," scoffed Missy. "It was the best time of my life when that whore was gone."

Maya couldn't help herself after hearing those ruthless and hurtful remarks coming from Missy's disgusting mouth. "I'm a whore?!" she shrieked before trying attack Missy before feeling strong arms restraining her from moving. "Lucas, let go of me!"

"Missy, are you that heartless that you call give a poor girl like Maya whom had been through so much trauma such a disparaged term?" asked Farkle wisely, trying to reason with Missy. "Your heart is made of pure evil."

"Grow up, losers," muttered Missy as she grabbed Brett's hand and tried go pull him away from the group. "Come on Brett. It's Monday, so we wont see these idiots until lunch."

"C'mon, Missy, don't-"

"Brett, let's go!" interrupted Missy. "Don't fight with me!"

Sighing heavily, Brett reluctantly joined Missy away from the other four, leaving them relieved that they were going away. _Missy really was being a bitch,_ he thought to himself. _And I wasn't even happy with her this time. I need to stop this. _

"Don't listen to her, Maya," said Lucas, trying to sedate the hyped up and infuriated girl before him. "If anyone's a whore, it's her."_  
_

"At least she's still a virgin," whispered Maya lowly, but to her disadvantage, one of the pestering students overheard that comment of her's.

"OH MY GOD! SHE JUST ADMITTED THAT SHE'S NOT A VIRGIN!"

"Oh, great," groaned Maya, leaning her head back. She was having enough of all of these people trying to know every single detail about her life.

But just before she could tell everyone else offs a deeper and louder voice was heard which rattled all of the students much more than she could have ever done. "Everyone, leave Miss Hart alone!" bellowed Cory, opening the door to his classroom. "Now get to your homerooms!"

Riley nudged Maya lightly in the ribs with a smile stretched across her face as everyone scurried back to class. "Great start to your first day back, huh?" she teased.

"Totally," laughed Maya. "Well, that's Missy for you."

* * *

12:00 was the lunch period- the period that Maya and Riley weren't too excited about after their little confrontation with Missy earlier that morning. They were sure to encounter that bulldozer once more and it was also promising that she would return with her sick antics once more. Maya's first day wasn't over yet and Missy wouldn't give up on trying to get underneath her skin.

"Oh, yippee," said Maya sarcastically as she sat down at a table with Riley, Lucas and Farkle. "I can't wait to see the bulldozer again with 'Brettie'."

"Who cares what she says, Maya?" said Riley, taking a sip from her bottled water. "Out of all people, don't let Marissa Bradford get on your nerves.

Maya shrugged, slumping back in her seat. The lunchroom was much different than the hallway that morning but it was still uncomfortable for her. Everyone was gawking at her and they would whisper about her whenever she would walk past them. It had definitely been a rough morning so Maya was completely dreading seeing John Quincy Adams Middle School's 'cutest couple.'

"Go easy on her, Riley," said Lucas. "It must have been hard for her to come back, and-"

"Relax, Lucas, I was just telling her not to care about Missy," mumbled Riley. "Stop defending her when no one's even attacking her."

"Riley, I think that you're mad at me," said Maya nervously. "I hope that you're not, because-"

"I'm not!" complained Riley, throwing her hands in the air and letting them collapse to her sides. "Stop jumping to conclusions!"

Maya sighed, looking down to the floor. "Alright," she whispered, not truly convinced that her friend wasn't having a problem with her lately. Riley would be her biggest supporter one moment and then would be snapping at other people. Sure, Lucas didn't have to defend her there; Riley was only intending on boosting Maya's confidence. But at other times, the girl who she called her best friend wasn't all nice to her.

"Okay, ladies, calm down," said Farkle. "Oh look, here come our BFFs."

Hand in hand, Missy and Brett strutted down the cafeteria with two extremely different facial expressions; Missy was beaming with pride and Brett looked embarrassed to be seen with her.

"Look, there's the loser table," said Missy disgustedly, pointing to where the other four were sitting. "I'm sorry, Brettie, but I do have to stick up for myself since they were being so rude to me before. Do you mind protecting me?"

"Uh..."

"Thanks, you're the best!" exclaimed Missy, ignoring whatever Brett would say next. She dragged him to the other side of the lunchroom to talk to... _them_. Those immature brats who should have never messed with her before.

Maya rolled her eyes, standing up so she could be face to face with Missy. "What do _you_ want?"

Missy shrugged, placing Brett's hand on her shoulder to rub it in to Maya. "Oh, I just wanted to ask you why you all ganged up on me before? I did nothing wrong!"

"I recall you starting with me," argued Maya as her face burned with fury. "You don't wanna make me mad."

"Ooh, very threatening," teased Missy. "I'm really afraid of someone weak enough to get herself-"

"Missy!" gasped Riley, shooting up from her seat. "What's wrong with you?"

Missy smiled unpleasantly. "Absolutely nothing," she answered plainly. "I just don't get why everyone's feeling so bad for you, Maya. I mean, you never had to deal with any losses, have you?"

"Well, no one who I was close to died, but-"

"Exactly," said Missy in a mock-hurt tone. "I lost my mother when you were gone and no one even seems to even care."

"Yeah? At least your mom actually cared about you!" shrieked Maya as tears began streaming down her face. She hated to let Missy see her crying, sensing that it was weakness in her eyes. "My mom... She..."

Lucas sighed exasperatedly, now joining his friend and up from his seat. "Missy, just leave my friends alone, okay? Maya's been through so much more than you'll ever go through."

"Yeah," Riley piped in. "Quit acting so innocent!"

Missy laughed, turning to Maya again. "Well, at least I'm still a virgin," she smirked. Lucas and Riley gasped in unison as Maya clenched her fists and felt her heart rate increase tremendously.

"Missy, that was wrong," gulped Brett, unsure of what to do next. What Missy said was just horrible, but he didn't know how to react.

"Oh yeah?" yelled Maya, jumping on top of Missy and pinning her to the ground. "At least I'm not a bitch, like you!"

"Ugh!" shrieked Missy, using her sharp fingernails to claw Maya's face. "What's up with you people and fighting me?"

Missy was able to kick Maya in the ribs, causing her to yelp with pain. She was still recovering from her injuries with Rick and the bruises were not yet diminished, so it caused her to wince when Missy touched her. Before long, the whole cafeteria turned around to see the unexpected scene of these two girls having a cat fight.

"Oops, I'm sorry," said Missy in a mock-guilt tone. "Did I hurt you?"

"Nope!" shouted Maya, gingerly standing up and yanking Missy's hair. "I may not be a virgin but I'm still not-"

"I don't care, you bitch!" yowled Missy as she felt her hair being pulled. "Hey, I worked hard on straightening my hair this morning!"

Riley swallowed hard as she and Lucas tried to pull their friend away from Missy. "Maya, stop it!" she demanded, but it was no use. Maya wouldn't stop until Missy was taught her lesson.

"Your mother wouldn't be too proud of you anyway, Bradford," screeched Maya, earning herself a punch in the cheek. "Your mother was never proud of you, so shut up, Hart!" defended Missy. "You know, it was a great time when you were kidnapped. Too bad that that guy's in jail.'

"Girls, break it up!" yelled Cory as he bursted through the door of the cafeteria, groaning to see Maya getting herself into a fight on her first day back at school. However, he wasn't surprised to see Missy involved with the quarrel, so she must have said something really horrible to get Maya worked up like that.

"Mr. Matthews, I can explain!" cried Missy as she managed to get up from the floor. "They were making fun of my mother's death!"

"That's not true!" shrieked Riley, helping Maya get up. "She was making fun of Maya about her mom and about her getting... You know!"

Cory huffed, placing his hands on his hips. "Mr. Hale, Friar and Minkus, may each of you explain what happened?" he asked.

"What Riley said," answered Farkle immediately. "No doubt about that."

"Yeah, Farkle's right," added Lucas. "Missy brought up her mother's death but Maya didn't make fun of it whatsoever. Missy was only aggravating Maya and teasing her."

"And Mr. Hale?"

Brett sighed, feeling that Missy would get angry with him for not supporting her but he had to do what was right. Just seeing Maya's face again reminded him that he was being a total idiot when she was gone. Of course he was allowed to date other people, but he shouldn't have been dating the girl who would manipulate him into being happy that someone was kidnapped. That was just evil and he was ashamed of it, so he had to get rid of Missy one way or the other. For once at his new school, he felt the need to do the right thing.

"They're right," he said. "Missy was the one starting with Maya."

Maya's eyes widened with shock at the sound of Brett's response. Was he seriously sticking up for her over his girlfriend? But no matter what he had just said, he had always betrayed her and she could never forgive that. This time, he wouldn't win over her fondness.

"Well, Maya was involved with the fight," Cory started, causing everyone's heart to skip a beat. "But Daddy!" cried Riley, trying to convince him not to punish Maya.

"I'm not finished, Riley," Cory continued, calming his daughter down. "Maya, I know that you must miss detention, but I'm excusing you for today. As for Missy, you have detention for the entire week. You do not have the right to make fun of what Maya had just experienced. Be in my room at 3:00 sharp, and the principal will determine if it goes further than that."

Missy sighed, rolling her eyes. "But, Mr. Matthews, I-"

"No buts," said Cory, laying down the law. "Are you okay, Maya?"

"Yea, I'm fine," said Maya angrily, shooting Missy a death glare she received one as well. "But my back and ribs hurt. They hurt already and Missy just made it even worse."

"Oh, puh-lease," scoffed Missy. "That's the most pathetic thing-"

"Missy! The principal's office! Now!" yelled Cory, directing Missy to the doors. "Go!"

Groaning, Missy trudged her way out of the cafeteria, leaving every other student staring at Maya and Riley. Everything had just happened so quickly and no one would expect for Maya to get into a fight on her first day.

"That bitch," muttered Maya, dusting off her jacket. "I hate her so fricken much!"

Riley shrugged as Cory left the four friends alone, feeling bad that Maya just had to go through that. "Well, you wanted to be treated equally," she pointed out. "Be careful what you wish for!"

"Maya," said Brett softly, tapping Maya's shoulder lightly. "I'm really-"

"Get away from me right now!" growled Maya. "I don't care what you have to say. Leave me alone!"

Gulping heavily, Brett hesitantly nodded and began backing away from her. "Okay," he sighed. "I'm sorry."

"Go Maya," encouraged Lucas teasingly as Brett walked away, seeing a fire inside of Maya that he didn't know still existed. "That was a great first morning, right?"

"Oh, yeah," chuckled Maya, trying to relax after that fight. "Missy will have fun in detention, I suppose!"

Riley, smiled wrapping her arm around her friend. "Definitely," she laughed. "She'a such an idiot!"

"You can say that again," said Farkle. "Let's eat. We all must have worked up an appetite back there!"

**Isn't Missy really nice? Huh? Yeah, not really... Hope you enjoyed that chapter! What do you like better- nice Brett or nasty Brett? I bet that you're all wondering about what'll happen to Rick, too. Well, we'll see! Thanks for reading and please leave a review :)**


	16. Hate is a Strong Word

**AN: Hey everyone! Okay I love you all so much- we got over 400 reviews! Thank you guys so much! I love hearing all of your nice comments and I'm happy that a lot of you seem to enjoy PDLM so far. I never expected how much support this story would receive. Anyways, here's chapter 16. I hope u enjoy :) **

**Oh, and I'm sorry if you're starting to dislike Riley in my story. But I know what I'm doing and trust me, she won't be like this forever.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own GMW.**

"I got through one week," said Maya cheerily on Friday afternoon as she and Riley were free from the brick walls of John Quincy Adams Middle School and were about to begin their long anticipated weekend. On typical Fridays, the girls would be excited for sleepovers or going to the movies with friends. But the excitement was somewhat reduced in a good way- Maya and Riley were basically having sleepovers everyday. They were now pretty much roommates.

"Finally," sighed Riley of relief. "It was the longest week ever!"

"Hey, at least we didn't have to deal with Missy after Monday," Maya pointed out. "So what's the plan for today?"

Riley shrugged as she and Maya made their way to the subway. "Whatever you wanna do," she said. "My dad said that maybe he would take us to Coney Island tonight!"

"Really? Yay! Let's just hope that there isn't a last minute dance, though," teased Maya.

"Shut up," laughed Riley, wrapping her arm around Maya's neck. "I'm happy that you're comfortable to ride the subway alone again."

"Yeah, but I know that you're not happy about me using your Metro Card," muttered Maya guiltily. She felt awful that she had use Riley's 'ticket to the world' since hers was still somewhere in Rick's old cabin.

"No, don't worry about it," reassured Riley. "But you owe me!"

Maya rolled her eyes, resting her head on her friend's neck. "Oh, Riley," she sighed. "Let's go home."

The ride home was quiet for the most part. Both girls had so much on their mind, each wanting to be able to talk to the other one about something that has been bothering them lately. Maya wanted to finally be able to tell Riley the full story about experiences with Rick and how she truly felt. She was tired of putting on a brave face, saying that she was 'always okay'. Of course she had her moments when she would break down and cry, but she never really got to make that true connection with Riley. Everything was over, but there was still the fear. The pain. The memories that would never fade away. And it would never diminish slightly unless she was able to share all of that trauma with someone else. She needed to tell Riley how she would stay up at night, fearing that no one even cared about her disappearance. She feared that nobody loved her in the first place, so why should they be worried about Maya's safety? Maya now knew that she was just being delusional and none of that was true, but those uncertainties made her kidnapping so much harder. And it was still hard, so to lessen the anxiety she needed to express her true colors to Riley. Riley would love her no matter what.

However, Maya's trust for Riley's love had been controversial in her mind lately. She had been snapping at her a lot lately and Maya wasn't sure if she could depend on Riley 100 percent. Yeah, they were best friends, but how could you rely on someone who would seem to bark at you every second. Maybe Maya shouldn't be telling Riley about the doubts that soared her mind when she was with Rick. Maybe Riley would get mad at her for questioning her concern, but then again, shouldn't she just get it over with and they could work it out? Riley wouldn't get too angry with Maya, and besides, Cory and Topanga would be there for her and would give Riley a talking-to.

As for Riley, she was hoping to explain to Maya why she would sometimes get aggravated with her. What did Maya want? Did she want to be treated the same as she was before everything happened to her or did she want to be shown empathy and care? One minute she would beam at all of the attention that she was receiving and then she would get upset and claim that she wanted to move on. Maya's mixed emotions resulted in Riley's mixed emotions. As much as Riley felt the need to be supportive of her friend, Maya would get underneath her skin and she wouldn't help herself from showing her frustration. Who could blame her? It was hard when you had to put up with someone who was kidnapped and didn't have any real parents to comfort them. Especially since Maya didn't seem to appreciate all that Cory and Topanga were doing for her.

Both girls were tired out from their serious thinking that they didn't realize until the doors were about to close that they had reached their stop. "Oh, shit!" gasped Maya, grabbing Riley's hand. "We gotta go!"

"That was close," said Riley, panting from dashing out of the subway so quickly. "Maya, when we get back to my room, can we talk?"

Riley had planned on explaining how she felt very calmly and rationally, unlike the way that her temper had gotten the best of her lately. She obviously didn't need to give Maya another reason to complain.

"Yeah, because I need to talk to you, too," said Maya. "You're not mad at me, are you?"

"Of course not," Riley answered quickly. "Why would I be?"

"I'm not sure," shrugged Maya. "It just seems like you're-"

"Maya, I'm gonna talk to this about you in privacy later, okay?" interrupted Riley. She had a bad feeling about this upcoming conversation and didn't feel like embarrassing herself in front of everybody else she would encounter on her way home.

Maya sighed, biting her lip nervously. "Okay," she mumbled. _Boy, I hope that this doesn't end up in an argument_, she hoped to herself.

After a few more minutes of walking, Maya and Riley finally reached the Matthews' apartment. "So how do you feel about Brett?" asked Riley on the elevator.

"I'm not so sure," answered Maya. "He seems sorry, but he might also just feel bad for me. I mean, I don't know, but there's no way that I'm crawling back to him. I'm stronger now, remember?"

"Maya, there's more to life than proving a point," explained Riley. "He actually does seem sorry."

"But I can't forgive him, Riley," groaned Maya, unsure of what she should do about Brett. She had to admit that she still had feelings for him, but he betrayed her. To Missy Bradford, her archenemy. Although Brett didn't know that, he still let the words 'I'm glad that she's gone' come from his mouth.

"What ever happened to moving on?" asked Riley. "I would-"

"Let's just agree to disagree," Maya cut her off, not wanting to even think about Brett. He already stabbed her in the back, so she certainly didn't want him to cause a fight between her and her best friend.

"Whatever," muttered Riley.

The two finally reached their apartment, smelling the delicious aura of brownies being baked. "Mmm, your mom must be cooking something good!" said Maya, changing the subject.

"Oh no," groaned Riley in a mock-pout tone. "This can't be good."

They opened the door to the sight of Topanga placing a tray of her homemade, fudged brownies on the kitchen table. She made them as a special treat for Maya, knowing that she had a hard week at school and that brownies were her favorite dessert.

"Hey girlies," she said, welcoming the girls into the apartment. "How was your day?"

"Not so different from every other day this week," sighed Maya, carelessly throwing her backpack on the couch.

"Did Brett try to win you over again?" giggled Topanga, taking a seat next to Maya and Riley on the couch.

"She won't forgive him," said Riley. "I just don't get it!"

Topanga shrugged, wrapping her arm around Maya's neck. "Well, it's hard to accept someone's apology when they did something really awful to you," she explained.

"But that he did was go out with Missy," instigated Riley. "I mean-"

"Well, I heard otherwise," defended Topanga. "I heard that he said some pretty nasty things."

"Please, let's just not argue," said Maya, squeezing her eyes shut. "I don't wanna waste time fighting over someone like Brett!"

"Maya, why do you always wanna avoid confrontation now?" asked Riley. "Where's the old Maya I knew and loved?"

"Well, where's the old Riley who I knew and loved?"

Riley's jaw dropped, surprised by Maya's remark towards her. So her best friend didn't seem to love her anymore? She wasn't changing in any way, shape or form, so why would Maya make that comment unless she didn't even like her to begin with?

"Excuse me?" asked Riley dramatically, placing her hands on her hips. "You didn't just-"

"Okay, Riley," huffed Maya, sensing an argument erupting, much to her dismay. "Let's not-"

"See!" Riley cried. "Why do you always avoid confrontation?"

Topanga gulped heavily, not wanting to see a fight break out between the one of the two strongest friendships that she had ever witnessed. In fact, she may have even called Maya and Riley closer than Cory and Shawn ever were. Of course Cory and Shawn's bromance had it's ups and downs and twists and turns and the two had been through so much together, but nothing in their almost 30 year old friendship came close to the struggles that Maya and Riley had lived through.

"Girls, you shouldn't-" she started, but of course, no one bothered to listen to her and the sound of her voice was soon drained out by the sounds of Maya's yells.

"Avoiding confrontation?" she shrieked. "What happened on Monday, huh? In the cafeteria! Who was the one wrestling Missy?"

"I was!" yelled Riley. "You attacked her for no reason Monday! I was the one attacking her for you a few weeks ago! I was fighting for you when you weren't even there! So think about that before you start yelling at me!"

Maya rolled her eyes, shooting up from her seat. "Whatever, Riley," she said. "And for no reason? She was making fun of me getting raped! She was teasing me for getting kidnapped! How would you feel?"

Before Riley could answer, an innocent voice was heard coming from the threshold between the living room and the hallway of the bedrooms.

"You were kidnapped Maya?" asked Auggie naively. "And what does rape mean?"

Maya swallowed hard, trying to the best of her ability to sedate herself. She glanced over to Topanga guiltily, unsure of how to answer Auggie's question.

"Way to go," muttered Riley under her breath, turning away from Maya. She really messed up big time. Auggie was too young to even know that word, let alone asking for the definition.

"Uh... Yes, Auggie..." stammered Topanga nervously. She knew that Maya didn't realize that Auggie was eavesdropping, but she wished that her son had never heard the conversation. "B-But Maya's okay now, right-right Maya?"

"Yeah," reassured Maya. "I'm fine."

Auggie sweetly ran over to Maya and gave her a loving embrace. "Like Daphne was in the Scooby Doo shows?" he said, continuing his questions.

"Yeah, kind of," Riley said grumpily. "But she's perfectly fine now, so I don't know why-"

"Can you just stop it?" cried Maya, slumping back onto the couch. "I don't wanna fight with you!"

"Fine, fine," sighed Riley, trying to calm herself. "Let's forget it."

"I'm gonna go to Ava's house," declared Auggie, finding himself pretty bored in the situation. Besides, he'd rather not be in the middle of two 'older women' on the verge of fighting.

"Hey, big guy. Don't let her boss you around," Topanga reminded him.

Auggie shrugged, opening the door. "Alright, Mommy," he said. "But remember, I'm this many (he held up 5 fingers) and she's this many (he held up 6 fingers)."

"I know, but if you really like to be with Ava, don't let her treat you badly," said Topanga pretty loudly so maybe Maya and Riley would feed off from her lecture to Auggie. "Fighting is the worst way to break off a friendship."

"See," mumbled Maya, side eying Riley.

"Whatever," sighed Riley, rolling her eyes. She was simply tired of hearing Maya's voice.

After Auggie left the apartment, Topanga felt the need to change the topic as quick as she could to prevent the girls from a highly potential quarrel. "Um, girls, I made brownies," she said, scurrying over to the kitchen. "Do you want some?"

"Sure," shrugged Riley, following her mother to the table. "Maya?"

"Oh, maybe later," said Maya, politely declining the brownie. "My stomach kinda hurts right now. I'll have one later on. Thanks anyway."

"Are you sure?" asked Topanga, surprised by Maya's response. She had always loved her brownies more than anything else in the world. "No offense, Maya, but you still need to make up for the weight that you've lost."

"Well, I had a big lunch," Maya said. "I'll have one later, though."

"Sure," said Topanga, giving Riley a brownie. "I'll save all of these for whenever you want them."

Riley raised her eyebrows, feeling bad for her mother. She had made all of those brownies out of appreciation for Maya's survival but Maya obviously didn't appreciate the trouble that Topanga was going through to make her feel better.

"Um, Maya," she said in between bites of her brownie. "Can we go to my room and talk? Talk, not yell?"

"Riley, maybe you should remember to talk instead of yell," Topanga pointed out, concerned that her daughter wasn't the same quirky and lovable girl whom she had known. "You girls are older now and I can't moderate your conversations, but-"

"Mom, butt out of this, okay?" groaned Riley as she and Maya made their way to her bedroom. "Everything's fine between us!"

"Okay," sighed Topanga, a trace of suspicion rising in her voice. "Whatever you say."

As soon as the girls made it to Riley's room, they went to their typical seat by the windowsill. No one spoke a word for a few minutes, creating an awkward silence in the atmosphere.

"So," Maya finally said. "What is it?"

Riley shrugged, picking at her cuticles. "Well, you seem to have a lot on your mind," she said. "What do you have to say?"

"I don't know if I should say it," answered Maya blankly. "I can never talk to you now without you snapping at me."

"That isn't true!" yelled Riley, fed up with Maya's self-pity. "Don't you dare-"

Maya sighed, regretting ever opening her mouth. "Don't you see?"

"Just tell me what you wanted to say, Maya," said Riley calmly, clenching her fists and curling her toes to control her anger. "I'll try not to get mad."

Taking a deep breath, Maya opened her mouth to talk but nothing came out. She was unsure of how to phrase it and how Riley would react to what she would say."It's just... Well, it's that I... I kinda, ugh... So I-"

"You what?"

"Well, sometimes, when I was in Rick's old cabin after a few weeks would pass by, I would get really scared," Maya started. "Scared that no one was looking for me. I was worried that no one even cared that I was gone and that no one loved me enough to miss me. Even you, sometimes. But I guess that I was just being delusional, huh."

Riley's eyes widened, appalled by what Maya just said. Did she seriously doubt her love and concern for her?

"Yeah, that's delusional, Maya!" barked Riley, causing Maya to flinch back. "That's twisted! Maya, I had to go to therapy because of you! I attacked people in the cafeteria, I was mean to my parents, I had nightmares every night and it was like I couldn't breathe without you here! Why would you underestimate our love for you? My dad risked his life to save you! My family paid thousands of dollars for your hospital bill and all along you didn't believe in us? You don't even trust my dad anymore! What's wrong with you?"

Maya gulped heavily, bracing herself for the argument that she was now officially unable to get out of. "What's wrong with me?" she shrieked. "What's wrong with you?! What's wrong with everyone?! It seems like everyone just wants to hurt me now! My mom, Rick, Missy and now you!"

"Oh, boo hoo," scoffed Riley. "All that I wanna do is make your life better!"

"Oh yeah?" shouted Maya. "That's funny because you're just MAKING IT WORSE!"

Riley rolled her eyes, shooting up from the seat. "See?!" she cried. "You don't appreciate anything! Stop throwing yourself a pity party! You could've had STDs! You could of gotten pregnant! You-"

"Yeah, because I was raped!" interrupted Maya. "Don't you get it? I never wanted this to happen! I tried to fight him off but he completely weakened me! You have no idea how it feels!"

"I kind of do because you complain about it all of the time!" screeched Riley. "You could have been dead, Maya! But you're not because of my dad! You don't even trust him! can you imagine how awful he must feel? You don't appreciate anything!"

"No, I appreciate EVERYTHING!" defended Maya, her face turning red with fury. "And I don't complain, I express my feelings!"

Riley began pacing the floor, trying to come up with a strong enough argument to shut Maya up. "Yeah, well you're either crying hysterically or saying that you wanna out this all behind you. WHAT DO YOU WANT?"

"I want people to treat me with dignity and respect," said Maya, trying to sedate herself. "Unlike the way I have been treated my entire life! I just want people to be nice to me!"

"Oh yeah?" asked Riley. "Well, you say that you wanna be treated equally but then someone like Missy comes along and you're shocked that they give you one snide remark. That's life!"

"I'm sick of people always walking over me, and you're one of those people now! What happened, Riley?" wept Maya quietly, losing all energy to put up a fight. She was ashamed to be crying, knowing that tears were now weakness in Riley's eyes. Just like they were in Katy's and Rick's.

Riley inhaled deeply, trying to slow down her heartbeat. "I only changed because you did. I was trying to bring back the old Maya and you started yelling at me."

"Well, the old Maya's never coming back!" yelled Maya. "And you're not an adult! Don't discipline me!"

There was a moment of silence, and Maya immediately felt remorseful for yelling back at Riley. She had to put herself in Riley's position even though it was extremely hard to realize her point of view.

"I'm-I'm s-sorry," sputtered Maya, covering her face with her hands. "Please don't hurt me."

It was as if a gust of wind had brushed across Riley and she was overcome with a new spirit. It was as if she _enjoyed_ seeing Maya's weaker side. She _enjoyed_ seeing her suffer. Before she knew what she was doing, she raised her hand and and felt it smack across Maya's bruised cheek.

Both girls stood there in shock of Riley's actions, even Riley! Maya was abused her entire life and just as she thought that it was about to unwind, it got so much worse. Her mom was no longer abusing her, Rick was the least of her concerns but Riley Matthews, her favorite person in the whole world was becoming the abuser. She hurt her, and there was nothing that either girls could do to erase that.

"W-why did you hurt me, Riley?" asked Maya, timidly backing away from Riley. Hot tears poured down her cheeks and her heart rate once more took off. Bursts of energy shot through her veins, truly infuriated with Riley.

"Maya," gasped Riley, now crying as well. "I'm so, so, so, so, so sorry! Oh my god, I'm an idiot! I'm so sorry!"

"Save it, Riley!" shrieked Maya, slapping Riley in the face in return. "You're not an idiot! You're a total bitch! I hate you!"

Once more, the room was filled with a chorus of silence. Hate is a strong word and it struck Riley pretty hard. Maybe she had given Maya a reason to hate her, but she hated Maya in return. Maya was the reason that the whole argument started.

"You don't mean that," snarled Riley, tensing her muscles to prevent herself from hurting Maya even further.

Maya found herself in a sticky situation. She truly didn't hate Riley; she loved her. She hated arguing with her but she could never hate Riley. Riley was her best friend and always would be, but Maya just couldn't admit it. If Riley was trying to be strong, she had to be strong, too.

"Yes, I do. Tell your dad that I don't wanna go to Coney Island tonight!" growled Maya between gritted teeth before storming out of the room and ruthlessly slammed the door in Riley's face. As much as she wanted to, she couldn't go back crying to Riley. Why was this happening to her? Maybe her life was just meant to suck.

"Honey, what's wrong?" asked Topanga nervously. She had heard yelling take place, butt Maya and Riley were older now. They had to fight their own battles in order to take on the world.

"Nothing," sighed Maya, not wanting to tell Topanga the truth. She was Riley's mother and certainly loved Riley more than her, so she couldn't tell her about the fight.

Topanga sighed, wrapping her arms around Maya. "You can tell me anything, sweetie," she reassured her. "I love you just as much as I love Riley, okay?"

"She wouldn't like to hear that," Maya muttered, avoiding eye contact with Topanga. "And you won't feel the same way after you hear what I said!"

"No, honey," cooed Topanga. "I'll always love you. What happened?"

Maya took a deep breath and threw her hands in the air out of desperation and confusion. Letting her arms collapse to her sides, she realized that she had to tall to Topanga. "Ugh, Topanga, I told her that I hated her!" she cried as she sat down on the couch next to her motherly figure, weeping into her lap. "I'm awful!"

"Well, she must have given you a reason to say that you hated her," said Topanga calmly. "What did she do?"

"Well, she seemed mad at me because she thought that I didn't appreciate all that you do for me," Maya sniffed. "But I do! I'm just not emotionally healed from everything yet. And then she... She..."

"She what?" asked Topanga, sensing that Riley did something truly horrible.

"She... She, well... ugh! She slapped me across the face!" cried Maya. Without further ado, she shot up from her seat and made a beeline for the door. She felt as if she was reliving history, trying to run away.

"Honey, where are you going?" asked Topanga, following Maya once she left the apartment and grabbed her arm to prevent her from living. "Please don't leave!"

Maya lowered her head out of shame and humiliation. "I have to," she whispered. "I can't stay here."

"Maya, I'll talk to Riley," promised Topanga, once more engulfing Maya in a loving embrace. "She'll redeem herself, okay? And you can sleep in the guest bedroom tonigjt if there is too much tension. Trust me, babe. We wont let you down."

"No," said Maya. "I let you down. I told your daughter that I hated her. You must hate me!"

"I could never hate you!" Topanga comforted her. "You're not my daughter's best friend to me. You never were! Cory and I love you as a daughter and we always have. Nothing you say or do could reduce that love that we developed for you from the day when you and Riley were three years old and met each other at the playground. Blood or not, you're a Matthews. You can't leave us now!"

More tears streamed down hearing Topanga's lecture. She really was a member of the family. Ever since she noticed Riley at the playground, she'd been at the Matthews' apartment every single day. They practically raised her since her mother was always working and when she wasn't at the diner, she would beat the poor little girl. No matter what trouble she got into, Cory and Topanga would always stand by her.

"So no matter what happens next, you'll continue standing by me?" she asked gingerly, hoping that this wasn't too good to be true.

"That's right," smiled Topanga. "Now let me give Riley her well deserved talking-to."

"Just... Don't yell at her," said Maya quickly. "She'll get even more mad at me."

"Well, I'm not gonna go easy on her," said Topanga. "She hurt you, Maya. And I'll do everything in my power to fix everything, okay?"

"Okay," said Maya, showing a small smile through all of the pain. "But all that I know is that Riley and I will never have the same relationship ever again."

**Okay, rant away. I know what I'm doing though. Like I've always said, I'm promising you a happy ending. Trust me. Btw- who are you gonna stand by? Maya or Riley? The fight's only beginning, guys. I'm sorry if you hated this chapter lol, but it's an extremely important one. Thanks for reading and please leave a review :)**


	17. Silence Is Not Golden

**AN: Hey everyone! Thanks for all of the reviews, follows and faves! Love u guys! **

**Btw, some of u gave me some suggestions for the later chapters and I absolutely love them all. I'm using a few of them but some others I won't use, just because I basically had the entire storyline planned out as soon as I wrote the first chapter. If I said that I wasn't going to use your suggestion, I hope that you didn't take offense or anything. I promise that later on, I'll write maybe oneshots or a different story with your ideas. Maybe it's because I either don't ship what u ship or because I have most of the story planned out and your request would interfere with the ideal ending that I hope you will all enjoy. Thank you anyways for your suggestions and feel free to leave some more for me. I'd love to hear what you'd like to see next and I'll try my hardest to incorporate it into the later chapters. **

**So I guess that no one wants to here me rambling, so here's chapter 17! Enjoy :)**

Riley and Maya stared each other down with that death glare that they have been shooting at the other for two days straight. If looks could kill, both girls would have been dead in the blink of an eye. After that whole confrontation on Friday, they were both sick of fighting but worst of all, they were sick of each other. Instead of using words and rants to describe their feelings, they used a system of communication that they have never used with each other before. The silent treatment.

"Come on, girls," whined Cory, taking a seat in between Maya and Riley on the couch. "You're Maya and Riley! You're two peas in a pod! You're known to be best friends. Please, just make up!"

"Tck, I'm not apologizing," scoffed Riley, folding her arms grumpily. "I'm not the bitch here!"

Topanga sighed heavily, highly appalled by her daughter's actions lately. She'd been getting on Maya's case about everything, not to mention that she had been cursing very frequently.

"Riley!" she scolded. "What did you just say?"

Riley simply shrugged, unapologetic for her choice of words. "I called her a bitch," she said. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"_I_ have a very big problem with that," shouted Maya, jumping out of her seat. She finally had enough of avoiding confrontation with Riley, and besides, Riley apparently didn't approve of doing that anyways. "You're not looking at a mirror because I'm not the bitch here! You are!"

"Oh yeah?" defended Riley as her nostrils began to flare with anger. She waited a moment, but her parents never rebuked Maya for using that derogatory remark towards her in contrary to how they reacted to her. "Look! You were so quick to jump on me when I said that to Maya and you never said a word when she called me one! Hello? Favoritism! I can't believe that you'd stick up for that thing over your own daughter!"

Cory and Topanga exchanged exasperated glances, both disappointed to see their daughter slip back into the temperamental and dislikable mood that she was in throughout the weeks that Maya was kidnapped. But this time was different; she wasn't mad at Rick. She wasn't mad at everyone. She was angry with one particular (and unexpected) person- Maya. And no one understood why.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," said Cory. "Riley, we're not playing favorites. We just so happen to side with Maya here. We don't know what got into you, but we all hate it. Not you, but the new side to you."

"And when you said that we'd stick up for 'that thing' over our own daughter," Topanga piped in. "Why shouldn't we? Maya's one hundred percent right here. And she's a part of this family now. She's our daughter, too, blood or not. And we thought that you'd enjoy having her be like a real sister to you."

Riley rolled her eyes, tired of her parents' pathetic excuses. "Well no, actually. I don't enjoy that. I don't enjoy her always changing her mind about how she wants to be treated, complaining and covering it up by saying that she was 'expressing her feelings', not appreciating everything-"

"I don't wanna hear it," Maya cut her off as she fought back tears. She didn't need to listen to Riley rambling on and on over her and how she had been annoying her lately.

"You didn't let me finish," smirked Riley. "Dad, I don't know how you're okay with this. She doesn't fricken trust you! She thinks that you're gonna rape her!"

"I would never in a million years think that!" shrieked Maya defensively. "Cory, I hope that you don't think that because I don't! I could never think that!"

Riley raised her eyebrows, astounded by this fake innocence that Maya was pretending to have. "Oh, really," she groaned sarcastically under her breath.

"I know that, Maya," said Cory, resting his hands on Maya's shoulders. "You're just traumatized and it's perfectly understandable. And Riley's not making it any better."

"Stop trying to turn her against me!" cried Riley, throwing a pillow violently at her father.

Topanga winced back slightly, having enough of her daughter's attitude. "You turned her against you yourself!" she bellowed, startling the entire room. "Your excuses are lame and disrespectful! Go to your room!"

Standing up, Riley chuckled inwardly and nastily. "Good! At least I don't have to be in the same room as _her_ anymore!"

"That's it!" yelled Cory, manically grabbing a book from the coffee table and slamming it to the ground. "The two of you, right here! Your mother and I will leave you alone! Work this out! And please, no injuries!"

"Do we have to?" sighed Maya out of annoyance, not so up for being alone in a room with her newly-discovered nemesis. "I can't promise you no injuries."

"Yeah, she's obsessed with fistfights now," Riley mumbled, twiddling her hair.

Maya bit her lip and dug her teeth into it deeply, trying to sedate her undying frustration towards Riley. The current argument broke out on Friday and now it was Sunday. Two days of quarreling were enough for her.

"Riley, it seems as if everyone else is obsessed with, I dunno... Hurting me! Including you!" she snarled, clenching her fists tightly.

"No, you see, people wanna hurt you for a reason," smirked Riley. "You're just so-"

"Riley!" barked Topanga, sternly eyeing Riley down. "Try to be nice!"

Riley huffed, feeling as if her parents were treating her like a little kid again. All of that 'be nice' crap. Ugh. Once more, it was poor little Maya and it was an outrage if you didn't perfect every single thing about her life. Couldn't they put theirselves in Riley's shoes for once? Couldn't they show some understanding?

After Cory and Topanga left the living room, Maya and Riley avoided eye contact for nearly 15 minutes, keeping their feelings to themselves. As much as they would prefer this over arguing and fighting, they had to admit that the silent treatment wasn't getting them anywhere.

"You ready to work this out?" asked Maya hopefully. Maybe Riley would turn around. Maybe she would realize her mistakes and fix them.

"That's funny, because all this time I was waiting for an apology from you."

"From me?"

"Well, you won't be hearing one from me."

"Oh, really?"

"Why should I apologize?" asked Riley blankly. "It's not like I kidnapped you. I was just trying to help you! All that I said was that you don't appreciate the avalanches of stress that my family goes through for your safety and you went all crazy on me!"

Maya gulped heavily, feeling slightly defeated. Maybe she wasn't showing her appreciation without throwing self pity all over the place. "Well, Riley, I went off on you because I needed to let you know that I'm vulnerable now! I was kidnapped! I was raped! I was terrified, and I still am! Okay, so I'm not pregnant. So I don't have STDs. But I also don't have the sympathy from by best friend that I need right now! Please, can we just make up now?"

"Ugh, you're complaining again!" groaned Riley, completely ignoring Maya's last sentence.

"I am not complaining!" defended Maya. "I'm defending myself because you keep attacking me!"

"Well, will that always be your comeback?" asked Riley. "When you don't get into Harvard when we're going into college will you try to get in by saying 'I was kidnapped'?"

"Riley, it's been only two weeks since I was rescued, not five years! Give me a break!"

Riley folded her arms out of spite, trying to intimidate Maya. "And who was the one who rescued you, huh?" she asked.

"Your dad," answered Maya confidently. "Not you! And you're dad is much more supportive than you'll ever be, so shut up!"

"Don't tell me what to do!"

Maya shrugged, trying to look strong while she was breaking on the inside. Why is this happening to me? she wondered. She needed a shoulder to cry on, not to cry because of a hit on the shoulder. "I just did," she said cooly.

"And like I'm gonna listen to you," scoffed Riley mockingly, flipping her hair back sassily. "Cuz I'm so intimidated by someone who was weak enough to get herself taken away for three months."

It was as if a sword went straight through Maya's heart hearing those words coming from Riley's mouth. "You didn't!"

Riley laughed inwardly, almost enjoying the sight of Maya getting so defensive. "I did. Because it's true! At least I don't lie and say that I'm always okay, that I trust people who I'm actually terrified of, that-"

"Riley!"

"What is it now?'

"Please! I have enough problems and you're the one person who could get me through the day! Without you, I don't know what I'd do!"

"So?"

Maya inhaled deeply, trying to sedate her high-running emotions. She said that she needed Riley's help, and she responded with 'so?'. That made her feel even more worthless than Rick had ever made her feel.

"Can't you see?" cried Maya, hopelessly throwing her hands in the air and let them collapse to her sides. "My heart was aching when I was with Rick! I had some doubts, but I knew that you still had some love left for me! And now that I know that you don't, it's breaking! I'm no longer the rebellious and free-spirited Maya, but that doesn't mean that you can't be the loving and caring Riley! I... I need you, Riley."

Riley took a minute to let those words sink in. _I need you. _It made her feel important for once in her life while Maya must have been feeling like garbage. And she wasn't helping. But regardless, she wouldn't go all easy on Maya. She still needed to calm herself down.

"That's just it," she whispered. "You do have a lot of problems, and I don't need them. I'm changing, Maya. Deal with it. I... Ugh. I need some time to redeem myself and so do you. We can talk a little bit, but not fighting. I kind of do, but I also don't wanna hurt you anymore. I'm confused. And don't get upset if I get mad at you all of a sudden. I just still need to sedate myself from what I've been through when you were gone, okay? Other than small talk, let's just ignore each other."

"But silence isn't golden, Riles," replied Maya softly, letting tears pour down her cheeks.

Riley shrugged sorrowfully, feeling semi-guilty for making Maya feel this way. "Neither is wasting time arguing over this."

"So..." said Maya awkwardly, disliking Riley's idea but knowing better than to fight with her. Maybe she was right. Maybe this plan actually would mend her broken heart.

"Alrighty then."

"Yep..."

"So..."

Riley sighed heavily, knowing that she couldn't keep something from Maya much longer. "Maya, I need to tell you something," she muttered.

"What is it?" asked Maya suspiciously. By Riley's tone, she could tell that whatever she would say next wouldn't please her.

"Well... You know how Missy kept asking and asking you for your phone number?" Riley started nervously. She knew that Maya would be furious with her. "And you wouldn't give it to her?"

Maya swallowed hard. "You didn't!" she gasped.

"I did," sighed Riley, surprisingly feeling remorseful. "But what harm can she do, right? Just keep texting you and stuff. Besides, she's really not as bad as we thought."

"Not as bad as we thought!" shouted Maya, her face turning red with fury. "What's wrong with you?!"

"Maya, please," said Riley, squeezing her eyes shut. She had to remove herself from the situation. "I'm sorry, but I can't fight with you. I'm going to my room... I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"Riley, wait!" yelled Maya furiously. Why would Riley do or say that? She knew that Missy was nothing more than a stuck-up bitch but has the nerve to say that she's not that bad. She stole Maya's potential boyfriend, turned him against her, teased her for getting raped, not to mention that she even messed with Riley in the past. "How could you do this to me! Avoiding each other won't make this-"

"Goodnight, Maya."

Maya began pacing the floor and ran her fingers through her hair nervously after Riley quietly returned to her room. Why did her life have to be so difficult? Why did she have to live in fear and depression? Why were the tears always running down _her_ face? She never wanted to be the one to say 'why me?', but she couldn't help it. It just wasn't fair.

She felt two vibrations coming from her pocket and groaned; maybe it was a text from her 'BFF'.

She pulled out her new phone that Cory got her and recognized two unidentified numbers; one actually had a number and the other one was blocked.

One was definitely from Missy. It read:

**:Hello, Virgin. Or should I say, Not-A-Virgin. Your so called best friend gave me ur number. let's have fun txting, ok? See u at school, loser :) -Missy Bradford, aka future Mrs. Brett Hale.**

Maya rolled her teary eyes, finding it ridiculous that Missy enjoyed taunting her. But for some reason, this time didn't bother her. She was too angry with Riley to even pay attention to someone as low as Missy Bradford.

But the second text frightened her. It was short and simple, but the message was creepy and the number was blocked. This one read:

**:Hello, Maya. Someone told me your number. I missed you so much. Don't tell anyone about this message or I'll pay u a visit.**

Maya was absolutely startled by this text message. Panicked, she responded as quickly as she could.

**Who is this? How do u know my number?**

She immediately shut off her phone, not up for receiving anymore anonymous texts. It couldn't be Rick- he was in prison. She was safe. Wasn't she?

Maya sighed, slumping back onto the sofa and let tears water down her cheeks. "Why does my life have to suck so much?" she wept to herself, burying her face into her pillow. She wasn't exactly compatible with Riley at the moment. She found it hard to trust Cory. She had to deal with all of this middle school drama and worst of all, she felt like a burden to everyone. No one understood her. Then a thought struck her- a thought that changed everything.

She didn't want to live anymore.

* * *

Cory furiously turned of the TV, absolutely angered by the previous news broadcast. This was the last thing that he needed at the time, especially since Maya was no where near healed. He anxiously began pacing the floor, knowing that he'd have go to high extremes to protect her again.

"Cory, relax," cooed Topanga, massaging her husband's back. "We'll just have to give her a little more protection, that's all."

"Topi, I failed her before!" shouted Cory, running his fingers through his hair. "And with Riley acting like this, I don't know what'll keep her going!"

"What do you mean?"

Cory sighed heavily, trying to reduce the stress that he was suddenly filled up with. "Riley is her best friend. Maya needs her now more than ever, but let's face it. Riley's basically abusing her and I know that you tried as hard as you could to fix this but we have to let the girls work it out on their own. I was talking to both of them separately before and it seems as if they're not really talking. There's no doubt that Maya will become depressed if she isn't already. And now..."

"Honey, I don't like this side to Riley either, but when she finds out that Maya's in danger again, she'll turn around," Topanga said, trying to reassure her husband as tears flushed to her eyes. "Poor Maya. She'll be terrified."

"I'll tell her after school tomorrow," said Cory groggily. "We can't tell her now. It shouldn't be the last thing to hear before she goes to sleep and she shouldn't hear it first thing in the morning. After school's a good time, right?"

"Yeah, I guess so," said Topanga, drying her eyes. "But she's gonna have to wait with you until you leave work to come home, and same with Riley. They can't be on the subway without adult supervision until that guy is locked up for good."

Cory nodded, plopping himself on his bed. "That bastard!" he growled. "He's nothing more than a dick. Why does he have to go around ruining the life of a twelve year old girl?"

"People are so messed up," added Topanga. "Katy was, too. And Maya's right- it does seem like everyone's out to get her."

"I know...Shit," snarled Cory, still letting the news sink in. "She's gonna have to remember her middle school years this way. I thought that dealing with that Harley Keiner was the worst that it could've gotten. Boy, was I wrong. Trust me, Topanga. I'm gonna kill that idiot with my bare hands if he ever comes near Maya again."

Topanga showed a small smile, planting a kiss on her husband's cheek. "With your bare hands?" she asked. "C'mon, babe. He's probably very well armed now. You know that, right?"

"Yeah, that's probably true," agreed Cory. "Which is why I need to get something."

"What?"

"You'll see."

**Thanks for reading guys! Yes, I think that you know what the last scene was implying. You probably hate me. So... What ships would u like to see next in PDLM? Braya, Laya, Faya, Briley, Liley, Filey or Brissy (probably not the last one, lol.) Anyways, thanks for reading and please leave a review! **

**Xoxo, Kayla**


	18. He's Back

**AN: Hey everyone! I'm sorry to all of u who may not like the new and edgier Riley; trust me, I know what I'm doing. I'm sure that all of u know Cory and Topanga were talking about in the last part of chapter 17... Someone's back...**

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own GMW. Just Please Don't Leave Me.**

"Riley, please talk to me!" pleaded Maya as she and Riley lingered by their lockers to kill time before their first period. She couldn't take much more of the untypical silence between the two of them since they have always been able to keep a conversation rolling for hours. "I need you to be my friend!"

Riley gulped heavily, feeling slightly remorseful for treating Maya this way. But she needed to protect her friend from herself. She was dealing with many issues (that were caused by Maya's disappearance) and the last thing that she wanted to do was to take them out on Maya. And since she already did both verbally and physically, she needed some time and space to redeem herself. She couldn't bear to hurt Maya again.

"We are friends, Maya," she answered, avoiding eye contact. "But we can't be too close right now. Trust me, I don't want this, but I also don't want to fight with you. If I had to choose, I'd rather pick the silent treatment."

"But how are we supposed to make up if we don't talk?" Maya asked before receiving a text message on her phone. She groaned to see who it was from; none other than Missy Bradford. "Ugh," she mumbled as her anger for Riley once more took flight. Missy wouldn't be harassing her if Riley had never given her Maya's number.

**Wtf is ur problem w/ me? U r such a fuckin bitch. Y do u always have 2 ruin my life? Brettie dumped me 4 u. Yes, 4 u. Ur a piece of shit. And btw, I'm so excited abt wut happened yesterday, aren't u?**

"Who was that?" asked Riley curiously, peeking over Maya's shoulder. "Missy?"

"Yeah, because you gave her my number," muttered Maya bitterly. "And she said that Brett broke up with her, but what happened yesterday that's so wonderful?"

Riley shrugged, biting her lip out of sorrow. "Maya- Im... sorry. About everything. But that doesn't mean that everything's better. We still have to keep our distance, but I want you to know that I never wanted for this to happen."

"Neither did I," choked Maya, holding back sobs. "Because I needed you, but you hurt me. I can't forgive you for that."

"I apologized!" shrieked Riley, grabbing the attention of the entire hallway. "Why don't you put yourself in my shoes?"

"Your shoes? What about you put yourself in my position!" defended Maya sassily. "My life has never, EVER been easy, Riley! My mom hit me! I was kidnapped! I'll never get over that, and you expect _me_ to pity _you_?"

"Maya, the whole world doesn't revolve around you."

"I know that."

"No, you don't know that. I'm doing this for the sake of our friendship. We might be super close again someday, but for now, we have to be a little more separate."

Maya rolled her eyes, sick and tired of dealing with Riley. "Okay, why don't you sit with Missy at lunch today," she suggested. "You're seriously getting on my last nerve right now."

"Maya, I'm not sitting with Missy at lunch today," groaned Riley, slowly retrieving her history books from her locker. "I'm not as low as you think I am."

Shrugging, Maya attempted to close her locker but ended up slamming it shut. "That's funny, because you obviously were texting her to give her my number," she pointed out. "You two aren't so different!"

"C'mon, you know that I hate doing this to you, but-"

"Then stop doing it!" cried Maya. "I'm hurting so much right now, Riley! I need a shoulder to cry on. Your shoulder! Look at me! I'm an emotional wreck! I can't live without your comfort and love to fall back on."

Riley's eyes widened as she prepared to make a comeback. "Oh, so now I'm just a fallback option?" she gasped. "I know that you're depressed so I don't wanna fight with you and-"

"Look! We're fighting! You-"

"Stop interrupting me!" growled Riley as her face turned need red. "You were the one who started this with me! I wanna protect you, Maya!"

Maya sighed heavily, feeling defeated. She was the one who started this. But she only started the current battle; not the entire argument. She'd much rather have a major blowout between herself and Riley rather than just avoid the subject forever. They were pretty much sisters, and you both love and hate your sister. They were at a love/hate relationship.

"If breaking me is your idea of protection, then you're doing a fabulous job," she whispered under her breath. "I have a lot going on and not being at evens with you should be the least of my concerns, but it's not. It's the highest of my concerns. I need you to stand by me, Riley. And if you don't... I don't know what I'll do with myself."

"Maya, you're not considering..." started Riley, overcome by a rush of guilt and fear. Was Maya considering suicide? "No, you can't! You-"

She was interrupted by the sounds of the school bell and students scurrying to their first period classes. Riley groaned; on Mondays her first class was history. Her father was already mad at her about fighting with Maya and Missy probably thought that they were becoming friends. She'd never see the light of day again if her father saw her being friendly with Maya's worst nemesis.

"Riley, forget it," said Maya. "This is pointless. Let's just go to class."

"Mmkay."

The twosome slowly trudged into Cory's classroom, both feeling depressed and unhappy. Missy was starting her nonsense again, the they were fighting with each other, Maya was worried about the anonymous text that she had received the previous night, Brett broke up with Missy and wanted to win Maya's affections and to top it all off, it was a Monday.

As soon as they entered the room, Maya felt as if someone was shooting her a death glare. She was right; it was coming from Missy. She swallowed hard, wanting to confront her but also knew that it wouldn't end pretty. What was Missy's problem with her in the first place.

"Maya!" exclaimed Brett, running up to Maya. "Hey!"

"Oh, hello, Brett," said Maya cooly, brushing him aside. "How's everything with Missy?"

Before giving him a chance to answer, she slightly winced back at the sight of a bulldozer in a pink sweater charging towards her. "Mia," she growled through gritted teeth, placing her hands on her hips.

"Missy, what the hell is your problem?" groaned Maya, gulping hard. "I've had just about enough of you."

Missy rolled her eyes. "Well, Brettie must've gotten a bump to the head choosing you over me," she smirked. "I mean, who's that delusional? He'll redeem himself. Just don't get your hopes up too high."

"Missy-" started Riley, only to be cut off.

"Riley, thanks for sticking up for me," Missy replied quickly. "I mean, I can't blame you for getting aggravated with her. And thanks again for giving me her number. We appreciate it."

"What are you talking about?" asked Riley. "And we? Who's we?"

Missy's face paled as she tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear. "Oh, I-I meant I. I appreciate it."

"Missy, leave my friends alone," defended Brett, putting his hand on Maya's shoulder. "Maya's been through-"

"Your friends?" gasped Maya. "We're not your friends. Stop trying to make me like you again, because that'll never, ever happen!"

Brett looked down, trying to hide the tears of remorse filling his eyes. "I'm sorry, Maya," he said. "I-"

"Save it, Hale," said Lucas as he walked through the door, joining in the conversation along with Farkle. "She obviously doesn't want you to stick up for her. Leave her alone."

"Thank you, cowboy."

"Missy, Brett, no one likes you, so get over it!" Farkle piped in. "Shoo!"

Maya showed a small smile, feeling content with all of the support she was receiving. "Brett, it'll take more than an apology to make me like you again. I'm sorry. I have a lot going on in my life and you're just-"

"Come on, Maya," begged Riley. "Just give him a chance!" She was simply exasperated with Maya, finding it ridiculous that she would only hold on to her independent ego whenever Brett was around. She wouldn't say it, but she knew that Maya really did want him again.

"Riley, I'm not forgiving him," said Maya sternly. "Don't fight with me again, please!"

Riley sighed heavily, slumping down into her seat. "Whatever, I'll just ignore you, then."

Maya clenched her fists, trying to eliminate her worries about her relationship with Riley from her head. She didn't need to be concerned about Riley if Riley wasn't the least bit concerned about her.

"So, Missy," she said chillingly. "What happened yesterday that was so exciting?"

Missy grinned from ear to ear mischievously. "You don't know? You mean, he didn't tell you?" She pointed over to Cory who was busy grading tests before he would start his class. "I'm surprised."

"Just tell me what happened," said Maya strictly as butterflies began flying in her stomach. She had a bad feeling about this.

She heard Missy laughing as she began rummaging through her backpack, saying, "I always read the newspaper before school. Maybe you should give it a try."

She handed Maya a wrinkled newspaper with a headline that made Maya's heart stop beating. All in a sudden, she knew who the anonymous text was from the day before.

_**"TWO POLICE SHOT DEAD BY ESCAPED CRIMINAL"**_

_**Yesterday at 1:30 pm, Richard Daniels, charged with the kidnapping and sexual assault on twelve-year-old Maya Hart, was reported to have escaped from prison and in the process shot and killed two police officers. Read more on pages 4-5.**_

Maya didn't even bother to read the rest of the article. She momentarily forgot how to breathe. With her shaky fingers, she crumpled up the newspaper and slammed it hard onto her desk, not saying a single word.

"Maya, are you okay?" asked Cory from his desk, frightened that Missy had told her about Rick's escape. "Maya?"

But she didn't respond. All eyes fell upon Maya, sensing her fear and anxiety. She was frozen, not being able to move a muscle. People kept repeating her name, but she wouldn't say a word.

A wave of dizziness came over her. She stormed out of the classroom and slammed the door, pacing in the hallway. "No, no, no, no, no," she fretted. "This isn't happening. No, it can't be happening!"

Back in his room, Cory stood there, dumbfounded. Why did Maya just barge out of the room? "What just happened?" he asked, glancing worriedly towards Riley. Maybe she said something stupid again to tamper with Maya's ego.

"I don't know!" she replied honestly. "Missy, what did that newspaper say?"

"N-newspaper?" repeated Cory nervously. "Oh no, Missy! Why would you show her that?"

"What happened?" asked Riley, sensing by her father's expression that something was terribly wrong. "Daddy?"

Just as Cory was about to explain Rick's escape to the class, he heard a loud bang coming from the hallway. "Shit," he muttered before sprinting out of the classroom to see Maya's unconscious body lying on the floor.

He ran over to her as his heart rate increased, checking her pulse and breathing. "Somebody, get out here!" he called frantically. "She fainted! Go get the nurse!"

Riley, Lucas, Farkle and even Brett immediately ran out to see what was going on. "Sir, is she okay?" asked Farkle anxiously, trying to catch his breath.

"I'll get the nurse!" declared Brett, sprinting to the nurse's office. The truth was, he really did care about Maya. He pitied her so deeply and worried about her every night. He would have anxiety attacks in his sleep about what happened to her and how he had betrayed her. He hated himself for what he had done.

"Okay, that's a little dramatic," huffed Riley, kneeling down beside Maya. "It was just a fight with Missy and I."

"Riley! What's up with you? She just fainted!" exclaimed Lucas, astonished by Riley's response. How come she was so unsupportive of Maya lately?"

"Riley, her kidnapper escaped!" snarled Cory apprehensively. "That's why, okay? Show some decency towards her!"

He took a deep breath, gently nudging Maya's limp shoulder. "Maya?" he asked softly. "Can you hear me? Wake up!"

Suddenly, Maya's eyes shot open. Her entire body was tingling and her face was still bone white. It took her a minute to sedate herself and realize what was going on, seeing the panicked look on everyone's faces.

Then it all came rushing back to her.

"No," she whispered shakily. "He's back."

**Thanks for reading! **


	19. Another Option

**AN: Hey everyone! Thanks SO MUCH for all of your nice and inspiring reviews. I know that there's a lot more tension between Riley and Maya (and a lot of you r starting to hate Riley) and I'm sorry; I know that none of you like that. Thanks for sticking with me and I'm warning u- the drama's only beginning. So here's chapter 19! Hope u enjoy :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own GMW. Obviously. **

"Maya," panted Cory, trying to keep up with Maya as she stormed down the hallway towards their apartment. "Maya, it's okay!"

Maya gulped heavily, turning around to face him. "No!" she shouted as hot tears poured down her cheeks. Her entire body was shaking with confusion, fear and frustration. Why was this happening to her. Why was her life always so complicated?

"It's not okay!" she cried, looking Cory straight in his eyes through her teary and bloodshot ones. "I hate my life! Why is all of this happening to me? What did I do to deserve all this?"

"You didn't do anything!" said Cory, trying to reassure Maya that everything would be alright although he was just as apprehensive as she was. He would have to protect her, keep his eyes on her every single second and continue fighting for her life. He loved Maya and wouldn't give up on her, but he hated having to alwaysfight for her. He hated that Maya had to go through this in the first place. He wanted Riley and Maya to meet the world, but they were meeting the dark side of it way too early.

"Maya, it'll be fine! I'll be there to protect you this time!"

"Cory, he texted me last night!" choked Maya, running into his open arms for an embrace. "He's after me again. S-someone gave him my number, and- and he said that if-if I told anyone about it then- then he would pay me a- a visit."

Cory's eyes widened, causing Maya to flinch by the rage and violence written in them. "What?" he bellowed, ripping Maya's bag away from her hands. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I was scared!" bawled Maya hopelessly, burying her reddened face into her trembling hands. "And don't try calling the number. It's blocked."

After frantically searching through Maya's phone, Cory finally found an anonymous text message. "Is this it?" he asked, flashing the screen towards Maya who nodded quickly in response.

Cory's blood boiled reading the message sent by Rick. Why was his main priority ruining a twelve-year-old's life? Why couldn't he just let her be? Wasn't she violated enough?

"That little..." growled Cory between gritted teeth, trying to control his temper with Maya around. "I promise you, Maya. If that bastard ever comes close to you again..." He couldn't even finish his sentence, having anger overcome his entire body.

"Wait a minute..." started Maya as something came across her mind. Cory and Topanga must've known before that Rick was back; why didn't they tell her? It would have reduced her anxiety level tremendously if they explained it to her calmly and rationally but instead she was smacked with it across the face after being told by Missy Bradford. "Why didn't you tell me that he was back? You can't say that you didn't know."

Cory shut his eyes tightly, knowing that Maya's sensitivity was taking control of her and she would probably get extremely angry with her. "I didn't want that to he the last thing that you heard before you went to bed," he explained gingerly. "And I didn't want you to go into school worrying about it. I would've told you later on today, but-"

"Why? I thought that you cared about me! I guess that I was wrong, though!"

Maya took a deep breath, knowing better than to argue with Cory. She had already gotten herself into a quarrel with Riley and with Rick on the loose, she couldn't get mad at Cory. She just couldn't.

"I'm sorry, I'm not mad at you," she whispered, letting silent tears trickle down her cheeks. " I'm furious with Rick. I'm also mad at Missy. What's her problem with me?"

Shrugging, Cory sat Maya down on the couch beside him as he sluggishly threw his jacket on the ground. "She doesn't have a problem with you," he said. "She has a problem with herself. She'll only feel better about herself if she hurts other people. You're easy to hurt right now. You're vulnerable, and she sees you as an easy target. But Maya, please be strong. Especially now, I..."

Maya's heart warmed as she saw tears beginning to leak from Cory's eyes. She could tell that he truly and sincerely cared about her and that he didn't just feel bad for her. At that moment, all of her trust for him was regained. He was crying for her. He really was her father.

"Are-are you okay?" she asked as she, too began crying again. "I'll try to be strong."

Cory pulled Maya into another embrace, now squeezing her tighter than ever. "I won't let you down again," he swore, his voice muffled in Maya's shoulder. "I'm so sorry that this is happening."

"This isn't your fault," said Maya, feeling as if she was being the braver one now. "And you didn't let me down, Cory! You were the one who saved me when I was an inch away from death! Don't think that this is your fault, because it's not!"

"I can't help feeling like that, though," admitted Cory. "If I haven't let you go home that day when your mother came to pick you up..."

"Come on, that was the past!" said Maya, feeling sick to her stomach as she was reminded of what was currently happening. "We have to worry about what's happening now!"

Cory gulped heavily, hesitantly nodding. Now Maya was the one having to calm him down. "I know," he sighed. "I love you, Maya."

"I love you, too," said Maya, grinning despite all of the anxiety. Her eyes immediately changed from frightened and frantic to glistening with tears and contentment. "And thank you for taking off from work for me."

"Nah, it's not a big deal," said Cory. "Topanga's at work and Auggie's at school, and besides. You're health and safety is much more important than teaching bratty seventh graders about the Great Depression, right?"

"I'm living a great depression, that's for sure," mumbled Maya, slumping back into the couch cushions. "But still, thank you."

Cory smiled inwardly, wrapping his arm around Maya. "How are you feeling?" he asked, forgetting the fact that she had fainted earlier that day. "You took quite a fall back there."

"I'm okay, I guess," responded Maya. "I'm more worried about Rick than me fainting."

"I know," sighed Cory. "But he'll have to get past me before he can lay a finger on you, okay? And I just got something that'll make that certain."

"What is it?"

"Don't worry about that," answered Cory, smiling mischievously. "And I'm so, so sorry about Riley and how she's been acting. I-"

"Don't start," interrupted Maya, squeezing her eyes shut to prevent more tears from falling. "Everything's fine between us. I don't know what's up with her, but she'll redeem herself. I know that she will!"

Cory sighed heavily, feeling as if the whole situation between Maya and Riley was becoming helpless. "Maya," he started, but he felt a repeated buzzing coming from his phone along with his ringtone. His heart nearly stopped once he saw that the caller was anonymous.

"W-what's wrong?" stammered Maya, noticing that something was terribly wrong. "Who's calling you? Is it..."

"It's restricted," gulped Cory as his heart rate increased tremendously. "I think it's him."

Maya's eyes widened with fear. "No," she gasped in a whisper. "How would he know your number?"

Cory shrugged, finding the courage to press 'answer'. "Hello?" he asked nervously, his voice slightly quivering.

"Ah, Cory Matthews," said a deep and evil voice, very familiar to Maya. She swallowed hard and mouthed "it's him".

"Listen, you!" barked Cory, jumping up out of his seat. "You ever come near Maya again and I swear, I'll fucking kill you, you goddamn prick!"

Rick chuckled menacingly, hearing heavy sobs coming from Maya in the background. "You're a funny man, Matthews," he said. "Pathetic, also, but not as pathetic as that little bitch you're so called protecting."

"You're a piece of shit, Daniels!" bellowed Cory, startling Maya to a high extent. "That's all you are! Just fuck off!"

"Oh, Cory, Cory, Cory," sniggered Rick, aggravating his nemesis deeply. "You got your names mixed up. You see, Maya is a piece of shit, not me. I was just being nice by taking her in after-"

"You're an idiot!" Cory yelled, his face reddening as he shouted at his phone. "You were never nice to her! Leave the poor girl alone!"

"Well, Maya probably doesn't even wanna stay with you," inferred Rick. "I've heard that she and your precious little daughter are fighting."

Cory bit his lip so hard until he bled. "Leave Riley out of this!" he bellowed. "Can't you get a life outside of ruining someone else's? Especially a kid's?"

"I'll leave you alone," sighed Rick. "For now. No matter what you do, Maya will be in my hands before you know it, Matthews. Tell her that I... Hmm, that I miss her and that I'll see her soon. So long."

The loud and irking beeps coming from his phone indicated that Cory's phone call with Rick was over. He had to take a few deep breaths to redeem himself before realizing that Maya was curled up into a ball in the corner of the sofa, weeping into her knees.

"Maya, it's okay," said Cory sympathetically, running over to engulf the distressed girl in another embrace. "He won't hurt you anymore. Trust me."

"I know that he's going to!" Maya cried, shaking her head dolefully. "I just know it!"

"Oh, Maya-"

"I'm sorry, but I really wanna be alone," interrupted Maya, slowly backing away from Cory. "I'll... Um... I'm going to my room, okay?"

Cory sighed tiredly and frustratedly, burying his face into his sweaty hands. "Sure," he muttered, having lost all energy since that verbal argument against Rick. "Go ahead. Topanga'll be home very soon, okay? Like, she's probably coming in right now."

"Okay," replied Maya softly, slowly trudging over to the guest bedroom. She didn't know how to feel. She was alone, confused, scared, nervous, sad, anxious- all of those feelings warned her that she was most definitely in grave danger once more. But her body began to shake rapidly as she had a brief flashback of the most tragic day in her life.

_"No!" screamed Maya, trying to escape._

_But it was no use. Rick clapped his hand over Maya's mouth and restrained her from taking off._

_"Uh, uh, uh," directed Rick, picking the hopeless girl up and carrying her over to his car. "I'll finish you up real good. Your mother will be very proud of us both, now wouldn't she?"_

_"Help!" Maya tried to cry out, but it just came out as a muffled "mmpphh!"_

_She felt her hands being tied behind her back along with her feet, and she tried to scream as Rick's hand released her mouth but she was stopped when he gagged her with an old rag._

_No, this isn't happening, Maya thought to herself before being thrown into the trunk of Rick's tiny, white Ford compact car. Now I'll never get to the Matthew's._

She shut her eyes tightly, trying to forget that infamous moment. After all, she had an eerie feeling that she would soon relive it.

Maya slowly crept into the guest bedroom which she had been sleeping in ever since the argument broke out on Friday. A tear leaked down from her eye as she internally debated what she should do next. Rick would murder the entire Matthews family so he could get her again and they were just too good of people to suffer from her mistakes. She needed to prevent that for them. She could either face Riley's complaints and abuse until she was brutally murdered by Rick after everyone else was killed or she could painlessly die on her own.

She preferred the second option.

She wordlessly strolled into the bathroom, rummaging through the cabinets and found a small container of pills. She didn't read which ones they were; all that she knew was that 15 of them would be enough for her to die. Although she hated the thought of suicide, she felt as if she had no other choice.

_Maya, it'll be okay_, she tried to reassure herself. _Riley doesn't love you. She has every right to hate you. You'll be much happier once you're dead._

She took a piece of looseleaf from her drawer along with a pen, ready to say her last goodbyes to everyone. Tears continued to stream down her face as she tremblingly wrote her final letter.

_Dear everyone,_

_First of all, I'd like to thank Auggie. He was always there when I needed a hug, a smile or just a good laugh. Kid, I know that you're gonna change the world someday. With that brain of yours, I can tell that your future is very promising. I can't believe that I'm saying this, but I'd also like to thank Brett. Even though you hurt me, you still tried your hardest to turn it all around. I'm sorry for not accepting your apology, but I needed time. Farkle, you're simply a genius. No matter how much you annoyed me, you really did care about me, which is why I care about you. Use your intelligence because like Auggie's, your future is very promising. And Cowboy: you aggravated me so much when you wouldn't let me tease you, but it's okay. You were always looking out for me and I love the way that you valued friendship. Never let go of that trait. Thank you for everything that you have done for me, Topanga. You were basically my mom ever since I met you. You loved me, fed me, cared for me and nurtured me. You would give me boy advice and always had my back even in the darkest of my days. Thank you for being the mother that I never had. And to Cory, you saved my life before, but this time I don't want you to save me. Thank you so much for risking your own life for mine and I'm sorry if you thought that I didn't trust you. I really should have because you really are my dad and the best thing about you is your passion for family and friendship. Thank you for looking out for me. And Riley, needless to say you're my best friend. I know that our last days have been rough around the edges but I still love you tremendously no matter what we've been through. But please, move on from me. Find a better, more loyal and less dramatic best friend. You've always deserved better than me. I love you all more than words could describe and I'm sorry for doing this. Rick doesn't have to hurt you to get to me now. I was just a burden._

_Sincerely, _

_Maya_

Taking a deep breath, she placed the long and heartfelt note beside her on the bed, the entire paper stained in teardrops. "I do love you all," she whispered before opening the jar of pills and attempting to put them in her mouth.

Little did she know that Topanga was standing right behind her.

**Yay! Another cliffie (Smiles mischievously)! What will Topanga do to stop Maya? How did you feel about how Cory and Maya were reacting to Rick's reappearance? Thanks for reading and please leave a review! Until next time... **


	20. I'll Stand By You

**AN: Okay, so I'm really happy rn... My goal for PDLM was 500 reviews and u guys achieved higher than that for me! Thanks so much! Of course, I'm gonna keep working on this piece until it's completely finished and trust me, we're only about half finished. Wow, now we're over half way to 1000! Hmmm... Can we reach that? Jk, lol. Anyways, thank you so much! I love u all! *virtual hugs to everyone***

**And yes, I changed my pen name to KaylaMaeve20209.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything... What, like you actually expected me to say that I did? I only own PDLM :)**

"Maya?"

Maya quickly turned around apprehensively, groaning out of embarrassment and shame to see Topanga's careworn and concerned face. That woman was seriously always at the right place at the right time, but this time, Maya simply wanted to be wrong. All that she wanted was to die.

"Topanga, please don't," she said meekly, silently letting a tear streak across her cheek. "Don't save me."

"Maya, don't do this," demanded Topanga sternly, pointing her finger at the suicidal girl standing before her. "You just...Oh, Maya..."

She attempted to take the pills out of Maya's hands, but it was no use. She struggled to loosen them from her hands while Maya kept holding on to them, trying to put them in her mouth.

"This is for everyone's own good!" growled Maya, finally breaking free from Topanga's restrain. Her face blushed deeply, feeling totally humiliated for being caught. She didn't want anyone to know that she was committing suicide until after she was dead.

"No, Maya," snapped Topanga, her eyebrows furrowing. This startled Maya; she had never seen Topanga so strict in her entire life. "It's not. I'm trying to stop you for your own good."

Maya gulped heavily, unprepared for this confrontation between herself and Topanga. "How?" she cried hopelessly. "Riley hates me! Missy bullies me! Brett betrayed me! I only have Farkle and Lucas at school but they both really like Riley, probably much more than they ever liked me! I don't have a real mother or father! I can't get over what Rick did to me and now he's back! He's after me again! And he'd kill all of you just to get to me. Let's face it; my life just isn't worth living, so I should just end it before anyone gets hurt."

Topanga looked down, trying to hide the tears that were swimming in her eyes. Never in a thousand years would she have thought that she would someday have to convince an overly distressed twelve year old girl not to take her own life. Maya just couldn't leave. Everyone loved her too much to lose her again.

"Maya, sit down," she directed as she sat the girl down on the bed beside her. "You can't die, honey. Everyone loves you so-"

"No, everyone hates me!" Maya argued, wiping away the tears from her eyes. "If you really loved me, you would let me go."

"That's not the phrase," corrected Topanga. "It's if you love something, let it go. If it comes back then it really does love you. If it doesn't, then it never did. Maya, you can't come back if you do this. Don't you love us?"

Letting out a long sigh, Maya hesitantly nodded. She truly did love the Matthews with all her heart, and the letter that she wrote was proof of that. She really would die for them. That's why she wanted to kill herself. She needed to protect them.

"I do love all of you," she admitted sheepishly. "That's why I need to die. Rick's gonna do anything that he can and I don't want him to hurt anyone because of me! I'm not worth it, Topanga. Please, just let me do this!"

After thinking it through for a moment, Topanga realized that she needed to use that one word that's so short but so powerful. The word that she barely ever used with children, trying to avoid being known as the 'mean mom'. But for once, she placed her tongue on the roof of her mouth, ending the phrase with her mouth in a circular shape.

"No."

"Stop treating me like I'm homeless or needy!" snarled Maya, shooting up from sitting. "You're not my mother! I don't have a mother, so don't try to be it! I'm old enough to make my own decisions now!"

Topanga pursed her lips before turning around to see Cory opening the door. "What's going on in here?" he asked worriedly, immediately knowing that things were pretty worse by the tears in the two's eyes.

"Cory, Maya was about to commit suicide!" exclaimed Topanga, cutting to the chase. Cory's eyes widened with both anger and guilt, clenching his fists to control his strong emotions.

"You're what?" he bellowed, turning to face the ashamed Maya. "Why would you even think about doing that? That's a pretty stupid thing to do, Maya!"

Maya buried her face into her hands, collapsing to her knees. She was overwhelmed with all of the thoughts and debates soaring through her mind and Cory's rant didn't make it any better.

"Honey, calm down," Topanga warned her husband, running over to comfort Maya. "Can't you see how upset she is?"

"No, I won't calm down!" raged Cory. "Maya, you have so much potential! Why would you just throw it all away?"

"I hate my life!" shrieked Maya, causing Cory and Topanga to go silent. They knew that Maya would be depressed from all that happened to her but never had they expected that she would attempt suicide. They could force her into holding on to her life, but she'd just live a miserable one.

"You know what, Maya?" sighed Topanga tiredly, having a plan in mind. "Go ahead. Kill yourself. End your life before it even starts."

"Topanga-" said Cory between gritted teeth before earning himself an elbow to the ribs.

"Cory, trust me," whispered Topanga. "I know what I'm doing."

Maya bit her lip, unsure of what her next move should've been. "So... You're saying that I- that I can?"

"Yes," answered Topanga. She wasn't sure whether her plan would work or not, but all that she knew was that it would be much harder for Maya to hear that she should commit suicide rather than hearing that she shouldn't. "What are you waiting for?"

"Uh...I, well... Uh..." sputtered Maya, dumbfounded. Were Cory and Topanga actually allowing her to die? There had to be a catch to this.

"We'll be outside," said Topanga, pulling Cory out of the room. "Topi, wait!" said Cory, still confused by his wife's motives.

Maya's head started spinning, opening her hand to see the 15 pills lying on the palm of her hand. "This is it," she whispered, taking a deep breath. Once again, she didn't realize that she was being watched. Cory and Topanga were curiously peeking in to the guest bedroom through the small crack between the door and the wall, hoping that they had given Maya the wisdom to make the right decision.

One pill went in her mouth and down her throat. After swallowing the small tablet, Maya involuntarily dropped the other 14. What was she thinking? Cory and Topanga obviously didn't want her to go. They really did love her. Maybe she wasn't amazingly popular in school and maybe she only had a few people who cared about her, but those people loved her to the moon and back and would be devastated if she was dead. They were fighting for her life while she was trying to take it away.

Breathing heavily, she fell to her knees and began sobbing into her hands. She let everyone down. What would Riley think when she would get home from school? What would she say about her attempting suicide, about her fainting or about Rick coming back? There relationship was rough around the edges in a bad time. Maya needed love.

"Maya, we're so proud of you," said Cory as he crept back into the room. "It takes a lot of bravery not to do this."

"All my life, I had to be strong and brave," sniffed Maya, running in to hug the two adults smiling upon her. "I just want a simple and carefree life. Why do I have to go through this?"

Topanga shrugged, gently kissing the top of Maya's blond head. "I can't tell you, sweetie," she replied softly. "God has a plan for you. You're going to live the life that He wants you to live. And Maya, I know that God doesn't want to see you just yet, okay? He wants you to have faith in Him and in us so that you won't have to face that psycho again, okay?"

"Okay," wept Maya, squeezing Cory and Topanga tightly. "And I'm sorry for what I said. You really are my parents no matter who's blood I have. You love me, you practically raised me and you'll do anything to keep me safe. If that's not a parent, I don't know what is."

"That's good to hear," smiled Cory, rubbing Maya's back. "Because you're our real daughter."

"I am?"

"Of course, Maya," Topanga reassured her. "Don't let that sociopath get to your head anymore. We're going to keep you safe Maya. We'll always have your back."

Maya smiled as the three took a seat on the bed. "Really?" she sniffed, wiping her eyes.

"Always," Cory reminded Maya as she rested her head on his shoulder. "We're always there."

"Even when you were gone, we were with you," said Topanga. "You have our love with you no matter where you are. I want you to know that we'll be wherever you will go, okay?"

"Okay," whispered Maya before breaking down again. Tears were rolling down her cheeks with unhealed bruises and scars. They were a physical example of the pain and trauma stored inside of her ever since the day she was kidnapped. It was a piece of her now. Rick was a piece of her.

"Oh, Maya," cooed Topanga, engulfing the girl in a motherly embrace. "Honey, its okay. It's okay to be scared."

Maya squeezed her eyes shut as more tears leaked from them. Moments ago, she was breaths away from suicide, but Cory and Topanga didn't love her any less. This was the thing that she loved about the Matthews. They would always love her unconditionally.

"I know, but I can't be!" choked Maya. "I need to be brave! There's no other way, Topanga. But I can't help but be terrified!"

"I'll leave you two alone," said Cory, awkwardly standing up and tiptoeing out of the room. He assumed that Maya needed to talk to a mother figure- not a father. After all, Topanga was much smarter and wiser than he ever was. And he still had to notify the police about the phone call with Rick. If that bastard ever came close to Maya again...

"I'm sorry," croaked Maya, resting her head on the crock of Topanga's neck. "You must be really mad at me."

Topanga's eyes began glistening with awe and sympathy. "No, Maya, I could never be mad at you!" she patronized. "I love you so much! You know that, right?"

Maya shrugged, still shaking from head to toe. "I guess," she sighed as a single tear trickled down her face. "But so much has been going on and you never stopped loving me. I can never repay you for that."

"You don't have to repay us," Topanga pointed out. "The best things in life are free, and love is one of them, right?"

"Yeah," whispered Maya, her bottom lip quivering. "Thank you so much. For everything you've ever done for me. Riley doesn't think that I appreciate it, but I really do."

"Hey, don't listen to Riley," said Topanga. "I need to have another serious talk with her because this is nonsense. She has no idea what you've been through and you have every right to feel scared and maybe not trust Cory as much. It's natural!"

"I know, but..." Maya wept, trying to find the right word choice. But before she could give a full answer, she heard Topanga's soft voice beginning to sing to her.

_"Oh, why you look so sad?_

_The tears are in your eyes._

_Come on and come to me now._

_Don't be ashamed to cry._

_Let me see you through_

_'Cause I've seen the dark side too,"_

Maya smiled slightly, taking in the beautiful words that Topanga had sung. She had never known that the lady had such a lovely voice.

_"When the night falls on you_

_You don't know what to do_

_'Nothin you confess_

_Could make me love you less."_

Topanga looked down and let tears fall onto the top of Maya's head. The poor little girl had to go through so much; this was the perfect song to sing for her.

_"I'll stand by you,_

_I'll stand by you._

_Won't let nobody hurt you,_

_I'll stand by you."_

Sighing heavily, Maya leaned further back and wrapped her arms around Topanga's waist tightly, closing her eyes. She was definitely exhausted from the chaotic day.

_"So if you're mad, get mad._

_Don't hold it all inside._

_Come on and talk to me now._

_Hey, what you got to hide?_

_I get angry too._

_Well, I'm a lot like you._

_When you're standing at the crossroads_

_And don't know which path to choose_

_Let me come along_

_'Cause even if you're wrong,"_

Topanga noticed that Maya was drifting off to sleep but decided to continue singing. After all, it was one of her favorite songs and asleep or not, Maya needed to listen to the lyrics. Although she didn't write them, they were coming straight from Topanga's heart.

_"I'll stand by you_

_I'll stand by you_

_Won't let nobody hurt you,_

_I'll stand by you._

_Take me in, into your darkest hour_

_and I'll never desert you-_

_I'll stand by..."_

"You," she whispered, kissing Maya's head. Maya was now sound asleep, but Topanga didn't bother to move her onto the pillow. She moved the girl's head onto her lap, making it more comfortable for the both of them.

Gently, Topanga began stroking Maya's cheek, wiping away the tears that only reached the creases underneath her eyes. She always took into notice how peaceful Maya looked when she was asleep. She was so innocent looking; well, she had been very innocent and vulnerable lately in contrary to how she seemed before she was kidnapped.

Topanga began weeping softly, silently praying that Maya wouldn't be taken away again. She was too important to the family to be gone. The Matthews were being completely selfish. They didn't want Maya to live for her own sake; they wanted her to live for their sake. They needed Maya just as much as she needed them.

_Poor Maya_, she thought, filled with pity for the young girl. She'd only lived a short 12 years but went through things that a 100-year-old probably had never experienced. She had to deal with child abuse, kidnapping, rape, torture, humiliation, violation, loss of trust, bullies, betrayal and false accusations from her best friend. Her life was the opposite of perfect.

Topanga still couldn't get over the fact that Maya was about to commit suicide. She shuddered at the thought of seeing the girl's corpse alongside a letter saying her final goodbyes. In fact, Topanga had never even read the letter. It was within a reaching distance, so she gingerly grabbed it without waking Maya up.

_Dear everyone,_

_First of all, I'd like to thank Auggie. He was always there when I needed a hug, a smile or just a good laugh. Kid, I know that you're gonna change the world someday. With that brain of yours, I can tell that your future is very promising. I can't believe that I'm saying this, but I'd also like to thank Brett. Even though you hurt me, you still tried your hardest to turn it all around. I'm sorry for not accepting your apology, but I needed time. Farkle, you're simply a genius. No matter how much you annoyed me, you really did care about me, which is why I care about you. Use your intelligence because like Auggie's, your future is very promising. And Cowboy: you aggravated me so much when you wouldn't let me tease you, but it's okay. You were always looking out for me and I love the way that you valued friendship. Never let go of that trait. Thank you for everything that you have done for me, Topanga. You were basically my mom ever since I met you. You loved me, fed me, cared for me and nurtured me. You would give me boy advice and always had my back even in the darkest of my days. Thank you for being the mother that I never had. And to Cory, you saved my life before, but this time I don't want you to save me. Thank you so much for risking your own life for mine and I'm sorry if you thought that I didn't trust you. I really should have because you really are my dad and the best thing about you is your passion for family and friendship. Thank you for looking out for me. And Riley, needless to say you're my best friend. I know that our last days have been rough around the edges but I still love you tremendously no matter what we've been through. But please, move on from me. Find a better, more loyal and less dramatic best friend. You've always deserved better than me. I love you all more than words could describe and I'm sorry for doing this. Rick doesn't have to hurt you to get to me now. I was just a burden._

_Sincerely,_

_Maya_

Tears uncontrollably poured down her cheeks after reading the heartfelt note. Maya really was being completely selfless in the act of considering death as another option. She wanted to reassure the safety of the Matthews, knowing that Rick would most likely hurt them to kill her. But Cory was well prepared this time so he could let Maya survive this crisis.

A gun would be enough to defend Maya, right?

**Thats what Cory got. A gun. How do you feel about that? Will he actually use it if they encounter Rick again? I can see Shawn using a gun more clearly than Cory using one tho... Also, if you haven't already, listen to "I'll Stand By You" by the Pretenders. It's such a gorgeous song. I hope you enjoyed that chapter. Thanks for reading and please leave a review!**

**Ps, sorry to everyone who hates the 'New Riley' and thank you to everyone who sticks with the story and keeps reading it. I really appreciate it and I know that it must be hard for you to read because it's DEFINITELY hard for me to write.**


	21. I Won't Apologize

**AN: Hi guys, thanks for reviewing... that's all I really have to say. I'd also like to thank those of u who reviewed every single chapter so far- love u guys! Btw, MayaFriarAllyMoon: I forgot to say that I saw the "Rick, Please" picture and it was hilarious XD. Thanks so much for making it! So... Here's chapter 21! Enjoy :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own GMW.**

Maya sighed heavily, blankly gazing at some of Riley's old science notes that were taken during the time when she was missing. She was so behind on work and catching up just added to the heavy load of anxiety that Maya was dealing with. _Heredity is the study of._.. Ugh. She couldn't even finish reading the sentence. There was so many worrisome thoughts soaring throughout her mind causing her not being able to think straight. There were only three things that could automatically trigger her self-control.

Riley. Rick. Suicide.

She moaned loudly, sluggishly rolling over on the bed to check what time glowed on the digital alarm clock on the side table; 10:28. Normally at this time, she would be wide awake, but this circumstance was different. It had been an extremely hectic day. Finding out about Rick's return, passing out in school and attempting suicide was enough to drive a 12 year old insane.

Maya didn't really talk much with Riley ever since she had come home from school. Of course they were giving each other the silent treatment, but Maya found it odd that she wouldn't just forget about the topic and be supportive for once. After all, Rick was back. No one was safe. It could've been their last days living life as they knew it and the two girls were still choosing to avoid each other. They needed to love, not fight.

_I wonder if Riley even knows that I was gonna kill myself_, Maya thought, resting her head on the pillow. Maybe Cory and Topanga didn't tell her because she would just attack Maya even more, saying things like 'you just don't appreciate all we do to make your life better' or other nonsense that she had been coming up with lately.

All that Maya wanted was to have her old friend back. The one who would always unintentionally make you laugh when you were sad. The one who would never quit to fix something even if it were beyond her control. The one who would always comfort Maya whenever she needed it. That was the real Riley, not the girl who would accuse you for being unappreciative just because you were upset, not the girl who would slap you across the face and she wasn't the girl who would always try to avoid you. The 'new' Riley was simply horrible towards Maya.

Glancing over to her dresser, Maya spotted the jar of pills. "I'm so stupid," she muttered under her breath. "I mean, suicide? Really Maya?"

She slowly got out of her bed, her feet trudging towards the dresser. She grabbed the container, closely examining it. It seemed... Light. As if there was nothing in there. She sighed, thinking back to the moment where she was about to place the pills in her mouth. Half of her still wanted to die. She would rather die as her own decision rather than be brutally killed by Rick, possibly along with the rest of the Matthews family. But after hearing Topanga sing 'I'll Stand By You,' she had to resist. She couldn't leave them just yet.

Maya opened the container, just to take a look at the pills one more time. She was surprised that Cory and Topanga even left the jar in her room. But after removing the lid and looking inside, she realized that they actually did.

No pills were inside. Only a small, crumpled piece of paper. Shrugging, Maya decided to read it.

_Maya, we're so proud that you didn't do this before. Do us a favor and don't try to do it again._

Taking a deep breath, Maya shut her eyes tightly as a single tear crept out of them. Cory and Topanga really would do anything to keep her alive. Why were they trying so hard if they knew that she would die anyway? They must have really loved her.

Returning to her bed, Maya gingerly crawled under her covers and began to look through pictures on her phone. Scrolling through her camera roll, she found countless pictures of her and Riley at the beach, at Coney Island, when they went skiing together and too many more to name. A tear leaked from the corner of her eye to see a picture of them hugging, both crying of happiness while Maya was in a hospital bed. That was when she had hope that her future would be carefree.

"Boy, was I wrong," she wondered aloud, turning her phone off. She didn't need to reminisce about the good times that she had with the girl who was only making her life more miserable. She was suffering from PTSD, depression and anxiety and Riley was just triggering them instead of helping her heal. Without the real Riley who she knew and loved, Maya Hart was now broken.

_"Please, can't you just let me go back home?" begged Maya before having her arm slit with the knife used on her about a dozen other times. Blood was dripping down to the floor as she tried to break free from Rick's grasp escaping was out of the question. She was losing her hope along with losing blood._

_Rick sniggered, dominantly pushing the weakened girl to the ground. "Why should I?" he asked before delivering a swift kick to her stomach. "You have no one to go back to! Being the asshole you are, you got poor Mommy locked up. Don't you realize that no one loves you?"_

_"I have people who care about me, unlike you," defended Maya meekly. "I have Riley and the Matthews family. They miss me, I know that they- ow!"_

_"Phh, you mean that childish freak and her pathetic family?" scoffed Rick, punching Maya in the jaw and causing her lip to bleed. "They don't love you. They don't give a shit about you! Hell, like you think that your bastard of a history teacher is taking off work just to save your stupid, worthless life. Get it straight, Hart! You're a worthless piece of-"_

_"Stop it!" shrieked Maya, now hysterically crying. "When I'm free again, my biggest comforter will be Riley so don't try to put all of this crap into my head!"_

_Rick raised his eyebrows, pinning his victim to the wall and squeezing her shoulders. "Oh, yeah?" he hissed between gritted teeth. "Dream on, because I know that this annoying prick you're talking about is glad that you're gone and will only make you regret going back."_

_"No, she won't!" whimpered Maya as hot tears ran down her battered face. "She does love me and so does her family! You're the one who hates me, so why are you even bothering with me?"_

_"If precious Maya was kidnapped two and a half months ago, why didn't anyone come and save her yet?" taunted Rick. "And good luck if you somehow leave. I'll be back for you, Hart. This would be considered a sweet dream compared to what you'd be in for."_

_Maya gulped heavily, shakily backing away from her captor. "P-please don't hurt me," she whimpered, ignoring the excruciating pain that swept over her entire body as Rick raised his baseball bat. "Rick, please, NO!"_

_The bat was struck against the back of Maya's head and the impact was more than enough to leave the traumatized and helpless girl unconscious._

Maya shuddered at the thought of those painful months when Rick would make her suffer day after day. There was never a time that he had left her unscarred or I wounded but he was right about one thing; how Riley would treat her if she ever returned.

Why was Riley being so mean to her lately? Questions like that kept soaring through Maya's mind, raising her anxiety level to extremes. Did she do something to make Riley dislike her? But even if she did, Riley should have been more understanding and considerate of her feelings and emotions.

"Maya?"

A soft voice was heard by the threshold, sounding ever so peaceful and innocent. Maya groaned, turning around to see none other than Riley Matthews, her 'frenemy'. They were at a love/ hate relationship when all that Maya wanted to do was love and all Riley wanted to do was hate.

"What do you want?" she asked tiredly, not in the mood for any more drama pertaining to Riley. It was a terrible day; confrontations with Missy, realizing that Rick escaped, fainting in the hallway at school, getting phone calls from Rick and attempting suicide. Couldn't Riley see that she had been through enough for one day?

"Maya, we need to talk," answered Riley meekly, looking down to the floor.

"About what, Riley?" snarled Maya, her nostrils flaring. "About how Missy's bullying me? How you feel that I should go crawling back to Brett? About how I'm 'overreacting', or are you just hungry for another argument with me? If that's the case, then no thank you. I'm too upset to deal with your crap right now."

"Please don't get upset, I-"

"Look at me! What am I going through right now! I have every right to be upset!"

Riley sighed, feeling defeated. Slowly, she walked over to the bed and look a seat next to Maya, who was waiting for her to say something.

"I'm sorry about Rick," started Riley, avoiding eye contact with Maya. "I am. I have no idea what else to say but I'm terribly sorry. And I'm also sorry for the way Missy's been treating you- she's always been a bitch."

Maya raised an eyebrow, feeling as if Riley was forgetting something. "And..." she led on.

"And what?"

"Well, don't you wanna apologize for how _you've_ been treating me?" Maya asked, shocked that Riley was apologizing for everyone's mistakes but her own.

Riley shrugged as her heart rate began to increase. She knew that another argument couldn't be resisted.

"Why should I apologize?"

"Why should you apologize?" gasped Maya, astonished by Riley's remark. "You have everything to apologize for!"

Pursing her lips, Riley carefully stood up from sitting and began nervously pacing the floor. "Maya, I really didn't do anything wrong! Can't we just forget about it and move on?"

"No!" shrieked Maya, her face reddening with fury. "We can't just move on! I won't let us just act like this never happened! Let's fight, scream and yell, Riley! It's the last thing that I wanna do but we'll never get anywhere if we avoid each other! And nothing will ever be the same unless we work this out! You used to blame me for avoiding confrontation but that's what you're doing now! You are such a hypocrite!"

"Don't call me a hypocrite!" defended Riley. "I feel and for you Maya. Not about what I did. Tell me- what did I do that was really so terrible?"

Maya's eyes widened with shock after hearing that Riley didn't think that she did anything wrong. "You hit me!" growled Maya, clenching her fists and curling her toes. "That's what was so terrible!"

"That was a mistake!" yelled Riley, throwing her arms in the air.

"Well, you've made a lot of mistakes lately," Maya snapped, trying to maintain her strength towards Riley. It was now as if she was dealing with her mother or Rick; she couldn't show any weakness.

"So have you," Riley said, shooting Maya a dirty look. "Miss Overdramatic. Miss 'I Don't Trust Cory'. Miss Oversensitive. Miss 'I Hate You, Riley', Miss-"

"Shut up!" cried Maya, fighting back tears. "I've been through enough for one day, Riley! For almost four months! For almost thirteen years! I really don't think that you're aware that I was going to kill myself today and you helped lead to that! And I do hate you! I love you so much but you're making me hate you!"

Taking a deep breath, Riley once more sat down next to Maya and took a moment to calm herself down. "I know that, Maya," she answered under her breath. "When my parents told me that, it broke my heart."

"Then why won't you stand by me like your parents are?" sighed Maya as a tear trickled down her cheek. "I need you."

"Maya, I really do love you," admitted Riley. "But some part of me is just... I don't know..."

"Riley, if you really cared about me, we wouldn't be going through this," said Maya blankly. "Simple as that."

"But I do!"

"Then apologize!"

Biting her upper lip, Riley said the words that she never wanted to say. "I'm never gonna apologize."

"Then I'll never forgive you!" growled Maya, shooting up from sitting. "I'm vulnerable, Riley! I'm breaking down! You're the only thing I'm living for now but I'm losing my faith in you! I was abused, kidnapped, raped, tortured and the person who did that is after me again! I'm gonna die, Riley! Let me enjoy my time with you while we still have it!"

"Why don't you believe in my family?" screeched Riley, stamping her foot down. "They're sacrificing everything to protect you!"

"Then I'll tell them to stop!" shouted Maya. "I don't wanna live like this anymore!"

"Fine, whatever," muttered Riley.

"What did you say?" asked Maya.

"Nothing."

What did you say?!"

"I said 'fine, whatever', you happy?" screamed Riley.

Maya's jaw dropped, finally having enough of Riley's snide remarks. "No, I'm not happy! I never was! Stop treating me like this! You don't have any reason to hurt me! I wanted you to be my friend again but after the way you've been acting, I don't want to have anything to do with you!"

"Whatever, Maya," scoffed Riley defensively. "You have too many problems and they're already rubbing off on me. I don't need that. You know what? I hate you too! Stop trying to make me apologize for something I didn't do!"

"You know what?" asked Maya between gritted teeth. "You're a bitch. Go away! This is my room now and I'm ordering you to leave!"

"Ooh," teased Riley. "It's actually quite funny to see someone so weak like you trying to act strong. And I hate to break it you you, but this is _my_ apartment! I can do or say whatever I want! I'm the reason why you have shelter and the reason why you were rescued! If I was never nice enough to be your friend, then-"

"Then I would be just fine," finished Maya. "You're all over the place, Riley! You went from supportive to caring to jealous to simply mean, then you started to ease up but then went straight to nasty! I don't understand you! Now leave!"

Riley smirked although she was still overcome with unease and anger. "Leave?" she asked. "Okay, Maya! I thought that you were the one who said that we would scream and yell until we worked things out."

"Well, you're not trying hard enough," said Maya, turning her back on Riley. "Stop harassing me!"

Before Riley could open her mouth, Maya heard her ringtone coming from her phone. She gulped heavily, sincerely hoping that the caller wouldn't be Rick. But much to her disadvantage, the number was once more blocked. "Shit," she mumbled as her heartbeat took flight.

"H-hello?" she stammered after bravely answered the phone. She eyed over to Riley, who was mouthing "who is it?"

"I don't know," Maya mouthed back, still keeping the angry expression on her face. She didn't need to deal with any more drama with Riley while possibly on the phone with the man who was trying to kidnap her again.

"Oh, sweet Maya," said a cunning voice that Maya recognized very much. "Sweet, sweet Maya. Oh, how I've missed you."

"Rick, get out of my life!" she whimpered anxiously, causing Riley to become apprehensive as well. It really was Rick.

"Maya, Maya, Maya," said Rick chillingly, causing Maya to be hit by a wave of dizziness. "I know that you really _do_ miss me. But don't fret. We'll reunite one day. Very soon, I believe!"

"No!" shrieked Maya, collapsing to her knees. "No, please, just leave me alone! Why do you hate me so much? Why are you always trying to ruin my life?"

Breathing heavily, Riley sprinted out of the room to inform her father that Maya was once more being tortured by Rick. Although she and Maya weren't exactly in harmony at the time, she still couldn't let her go through all of that again. She couldn't let Maya be taken away again.

"Maya, you have always lived a worthless life," said Rick sinisterly. "Why don't I just end it for you!"

"If I wanted to die, I would've killed myself!" spat Maya as her face turned bone white. "You're the one making me wanna die!"

"Oh, that's not my intentions at all," said Rick sarcastically. "If you kill yourself, I'll kill the entire Matthews family, starting with Riley. But of course, that wouldn't be bad at all because you two hate each other now, am I correct?"

"No! Where are you finding all of this information about me anyway?" asked Maya meekly.

Rick chuckled menacingly, causing tears to roll down his victim's face. "Oh, let's just thank my niece," he answered. "See you soon!"

"What? No!" shouted Maya before realizing that Rick had hung up. "No," she repeated, this time a little less energetic. Burying her face into her hands, she needed to let out a good cry that she had been holding in.

"Maya! Give me the phone!" yelled Cory frantically as he burst into the room with an infuriated expression on his face. Pure anger and hate towards Rick rushed through his veins whenever he heard that idiot's name.

"He hung up," bawled Maya, her voice muffled from her hands. "I hate him! So much!"

"Maya, don't worry about him," comforted Cory, extending his arms to embrace the distressed girl. "I won't let him hurt you again."

"Yeah, Maya," Riley piped in. "You're safe with us."

Maya rolled her eyes, sensing the falseness in Riley's voice. "Oh, so now you're gonna be nice to me?" she sniffed. "When your dad's around you're automatically sweet as anything?"

"C'mon, I'm being sincere!" pouted Riley. "I'm still sick of your attitude, though."

"My attitude?"

"Girls!"

Maya and Riley both sighed heavily as Cory attempted to break the two up from fighting again. Blowing stray hairs away from their faces, they knew that this fight was far from over.

"I can't even leave the two of you in the same room anymore!" shouted Cory, still hugging Maya. He still felt the need to prove to her that even though she wasn't his biological daughter, he would still defend her even from his own, blood-related daughter.

"I can't believe you'd stick up for her over me," muttered Riley, folding her arms. Even her own father was siding with Maya.

Cory huffed, backing away from the two girls. "That's it!" he yelled. "When Maya feels that she's ready to go back to school, the two of you are going to Miss Benson every day until you work this out!"

"But Daddy-"

"No buts!" he interrupted Riley. "You! Leave Maya alone!"

Groaning, Riley hesitantly stormed out of the room and headed for her own, slamming the door behind her. It was always 'poor Maya' and now it was gradually evolving into 'nasty Riley.' Maya was always complaining about her life while she was really the one making Riley's more miserable. It wasn't fair.

After Riley left, Maya ran back into Cory's arm, crying her eyes out onto his shoulder. "I'm scared, Cory," she wept, comforted by the warmth of his embrace.

"I am too, Maya," he admitted. "I'm just as scared as you are."

"You're scared?" asked Maya curiously. How could Cory Matthews possibly be scared? He was always the brave one; the fighter. She knew that he must have cared about her, but never had she thought that he was scared for her.

"I am," Cory responded as a tear leaked from his eye. "But I'll never give up on you. Are you okay?"

Maya thought about that question very thoroughly before answering. Whenever someone asked her that, she would always respond by saying 'I'm always okay.' But this time was different. She couldn't bottle up her feelings for much longer.

"No."

**There's chapter 21! I hope you guys enjoyed that one- sorry, I know that it may have been a little boring as if it were repeating the last few chapters. But that was the last one of the four chapters taking place on that Monday. So thanks for reading and please leave a review! Love u guys! **


	22. Maybe We Can Work This Out

**AN: Hey everyone, thanks for reviewing, favoriting and following! Also, sorry if I'm not updating as soon. Sadly, school comes first -.- I know the wait must be very tedious but please, don't leave reviews saying "u gotta hurry up" or "you're taking too long." It just puts a lot of pressure on me and I need to take my time when I write. Trust me, I'm trying as hard as I could to update and I'll never abandon this story on u guys.**

**Anyway, here's chapter 22!**

**Disclaimer: GMW isn't mine.**

Maya and Riley found themselves sitting face to face in the school guidance counselor's office, not a single word escaping from either of their mouths. Neither one would apologize, neither one would forgive. Their friendship as they knew it was disappearing before their very eyes, breaking both girls' hearts. As much as they wanted to hug, cry and fix everything, they were both too arrogant and stubborn to admit their faults.

Ever since their previous fight on Monday, Riley would never make eye contact with Maya. It would only weaken her, especially because she knew that she was wrong. She wouldn't ever admit it, but deep down, she was filled with remorse and regret. Why was she even continuing to hurt Maya, the girl who had gone through so much and never, ever let Riley down? Maybe Delaney really _could_ fix everything. After all, Riley had meetings with her before and already knew that she was practically a miracle worker. She just hoped that a miracle would be enough to save her friendship with Maya.

"So..." she muttered under her breath as the two waited for Delaney to show up. If she and Maya had some time alone, she felt that she may as well make some use of it.

"So what?" spat Maya, trying to show more strength and boldness towards Riley. One thing that she would _not_ be classified as would be a pushover, no matter what had happened to her in the past. She was a survivor; not a victim. She wouldn't let anyone toy or tamper with her anymore.

"Um... How's life?"

"Oh, just as _wonderful_ as you're making it."

Riley sighed, slumping back into her chair tiredly. "Maya, we're here to fix our problems," she reminded, "not to make them worse. Can't we try to get along?"

Maya rolled her eyes. "I've been trying to get along with you," she huffed, blowing a strand of loose hair away from her face. "If it weren't for you, I'd still be hurting after all that happened but I wouldn't be breaking like I am now. Why do you want to ruin my life so much? What did I ever do to you, huh?"

"I have an answer, but I won't say it," responded Riley cooly. "I'm just gonna keep my opinions to myself until we're mature enough to work them out instead of arguing over them."

"Oh, because you're soooooo mature," said Maya, heavy sarcasm in her tone. "You're the one who started this whole-"

"Look at you! I may have started this fight but you're the one who keeps it going," Riley pointed out. "Don't you see, Maya? I need to fix these problems! You haven't done anything wrong! It's me, not you. Please, I need you to help me! It may seem hard, but I need you to be there for me just as much as you need my love and support. This is a scary time and we need to stick together, but I'll need to change my ways first. I was wrong, Maya. I admit it. My temper had gotten the best of me. So would you try and help me to get better so I can help you? Please?"

Maya groaned, resting her head on her fist. It's only been a few days since their last major blowout, so what would make her think that everything would be perfect once more in the blink of an eye? She had finally found the strength to return to school after realizing that Rick was on the loose again. She expected Riley to be as bitchy and edgy as she had been for the past week but she her assumptions seemed to be false; Riley _knew_ that she was wrong. She admitted it. Maybe this was the first step to her recovery. If she accepted the fact that she didn't do the right thing, then the real Riley Matthews would do anything to fix her mistakes. She did need help, and for once, Maya would be the one to help someone else.

"Ugh, fine," she mumbled, twiddling her hair. "Well, we're here in therapy so Miss Benson better have a good plan to fix this and you better be willing to go along with it. You know that you don't deserve any help."

"Maya, c'mom-"

"But I'll do anything to get my best friend back."

"So... I'm still your best friend?"

Maya smiled inwardly, reaching across the table to grab Riley's hand. "Of course," she promised. "As long as you want to be."

"I do," answered Riley quickly, not even having to think that question through. "But... Oh... Maya..."

She finished her sentence with a groan and a sickening feeling to her stomach. No matter what the outcome of this conversation would be, she knew that their relationship still wouldn't be the same.

"What?"

Riley sighed, slowly taking her eyes off of Maya and retrieving her hand. Nothing could be this simple. They've been arguing both physically and orally for one week straight and there was no way that they could make up in the snap of a finger.

"I'm not ready," she explained, nervously playing with her thumbs. She knew that Maya, of course, would get angry with her once again. It was a never ending battle between the two and neither were ready to raise that flag and surrender.

"Not ready for what?"

"Maya, I can't be your friend," Riley blurted out, cutting to the chase. "Not just yet. We have to wait a while and-"

"Whatever, Riley," said Maya, rolling her eyes. She struggled to fight back tears- no, more like heavy sobs. Why was everything so complicated? Maybe she was neurotic, maybe she was overemotional, but whatever she was, she had her reasons. And when she really thought about it, Riley was a bigger concern than Rick ever was to her. But it couldn't be that way. Riley needed to redeem herself so Maya could worry about the more life-threatening problems.

"Maya, try to understand!" cried Riley as a tear dripped from her eye. "This is breaking me, too!"

Folding her arms, Maya laid her face against the table gloomily. "Why should I try to understand you?" she wondered honestly. "Maybe you're right. We shouldn't be friends."

"I never said that we shouldn't be friends," said Riley exasperatedly. Maya was taking things too seriously while all that she wanted to do was fix their friendship for the both of them. They were both too fragile to be fighting.

"Well, then I said it," said Maya icily. "I don't wanna be your friend anymore."

"Why?" cried Riley, banging her fist against the table. "I can't stand this tension between us! We're both being so bipolar and I wish you'd stop!"

"Oh, so now it's my fault," scoffed Maya, placing her hands firmly on her hips. "And _bipolar_?"

"Oh, yeah, I forgot," smirked Riley. "It was a vocabulary word from last month. You weren't here. You were to busy losing your virginity at age 12. And I doubt you even loved me in the first place! You were using my family for love and protection! That's right, you... oh, no," she paused, realizing her mistake, "ugh, I'm sorry, Maya! I shouldn't have said that! I'm so, so, so, so sorry, I-"

"Save it!" barked Maya as her face flushed deeply with anger. Why would Riley even think like that? She needed the love and protection but wouldn't want the love and protection from anyone else in the entire world. She would be even more lost if she didn't have the Matthews by her side.

Taking a deep breath, she continued her rant at Riley as tears rivered down both girls' faces. "You're the 'bipolar' one here, Riley!" she scowled, impatiently waiting for Delaney to show up. "It's 'I hate you' one second and the next second it's all that 'I love you' crap! You treat me like shit and then you're kissing my ass! What's your deal? You were totally right when you said that we shouldn't be friends! You're changing for whatever reason because of me and it's unhealthy for me to be in this relationship while I'm dealing with... Dealing with my life, Riley! I'm forced to live in fear! Do you understand how hard it was for me to be taken from the family and friends who I loved and thrown into hell?"

A few seconds passed as the two wordlessly stared each other down through their teary eyes. Their hearts beat fast and they both momentarily forgot how to breathe. Maya's points were solid, even to Riley. Their company was unavoidable yet unhealthy. How could they continue going about their everyday lives that way?

"Maya..." was all that could escape from Riley's quivering lips. "I don't... I don't know what to say."

The door slowly creaked open to reveal the face of Delaney Benson, who was just happening to be eavesdropping on the final portion of the conversation. Her beautiful figure calmed the girls down, for they knew that she would be able to mend at least the slightest bit of their broken hearts.

"Hey, girls," she greeted warmly as she made her way into her office, forcing a smile on her face. "How are you?"

Maya sighed, stretching her arms in front of her. "What do you think?" she groaned, shooting a dirty look over to Riley, who's head was hanging down out of shame.

"Oh, Maya," cooed Delaney, pouring the girls' glasses of iced tea. "Can't we try to put on a brave face? This session will be hard, but we'll make the most out of it. I'll keep you two here until we progress a little, okay?"

"Fine."

Riley inhaled deeply through her mouth, biting her lip sharply. "So..." she started awkwardly. "I'm back."

"I know," smiled Delaney, serving her patients their refreshments and taking a seat between them. "It's good that Maya's here with you this time though, right?"

"Not really," admitted Maya honestly. "It was almost better when I was gone. At least I thought that she loved me then."

"Maya, we're here to get over this!" snapped Riley. "Please, try and cooperate."

"Riley, shh," hushed Delaney, grabbing Riley and Maya's hands. "We're not here to 'get over this'. We can't do that in one appointment. We're here to work on getting over it. Do you understand?"

Maya raised her eyebrows, glancing over towards Riley through the corner of her eye. "I guess so," she agreed. "I'd do anything to fix this."

"I know you would," said Delaney. "So I heard your previous conversation."

"You- you did?" asked Riley nervously, her heart skipping a beat. The last thing that she needed was for a teacher to overhear the cold and harsh words that she wad spoken to Maya.

Delaney shrugged, slowly letting go of the girls' hands. "That's what I do when I work with two individuals," she explained. "I listen to how they talk in private because tons of kids tend to conceal their feelings around adults."

"No we don't, Miss Benson," answered Maya and Delaney laughed.

"You see?" she pointed out. "You just did! You said that you didn't because I'm an adult and kids always wanna make a good impression."

"Yeah, Maya," giggled Riley, trying to break the ice between the two. However, her hopes were immediately put down by Maya's response; "Don't talk to me, loser."

Delaney sighed, knowing that this would be the most difficult issue that she'd ever work with. When she applied for her job, she had never taken into precaution that she would deal with a girl with serious PTSD recovering from being kidnapped while arguing with her best friend.

"Girls, let me ask you something," she started. "Is this situation between the two of you really hurting you?"

Maya shrugged, twiddling her thumbs. "To be honest," she began, "totally. I can't stand going through this whole Rick thing without Riley by my side. I need her."

Riley pursed her lips, shedding a single tear. _I can't stand going through this whole Rick thing without Riley by my side. I need her. _

"I need you, too, Maya," she whispered, wiping away her overflowing tears. "I don't understand why we have to go through this."

"Well, you were clearly the one to start this whole damn fight, Riley, and if-"

"Maya, Maya, Maya," interrupted Delaney, trying to sedate her clearly overwhelmed patient. "This isn't how we cope with each other."

"But, Miss Benson," whined Maya, tears brimming in her icy blue eyes. "Can't you see how difficult this is for me?"

"I understand perfectly, honey," said Delaney sympathetically as she began stroking Maya's hair smoothly. "But show some empathy to Riley. She must be hurting from this, too."

"I am," Riley piped in, her eyes showing her dolefulness. "I feel awful."

Maya frowned inwardly, looking into the emotion written all over Riley's face. She could see anger, confusion, sorrow, grief and fear. The same emotions that she was feeling at the very moment.

"Okay," she mumbled, sliding back into her chair. "Sorry."

"Girls, why do you think that it's so difficult for you to be fighting with each other?" asked Delaney, moving on to her next point.

Maya and Riley exchanged glances and shrugged in unison, both fighting back heavy sobs. They had no idea how to answer that question; it was unexplainable. They couldn't describe their love, hate and mourning in words.

"I really don't know," said Riley. "Can you... maybe elaborate on that question?"

Maya genuinely sniggered, finding it slightly humorous that Riley was being so proper around Delaney. Although it was the same with any other teacher (except for Cory), it was funny that she was being so polite while she was in therapy and basically at war with her best friend.

"Sure, Riles," said Delaney. "So most classes don't want you to point fingers at people, but I'll let that rule pass for you guys. Who's that one person, besides yourselves, who just want to get under your skin and you pretty much hate them?"

"Oh... That's easy," said Maya, knowing what she would say but also knowing that it wouldn't be the truth. Rick was that person to her but she didn't need to be reminded of his traumatizing experiences with him. "Missy Bradford, hands down."

Delaney laughed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Yea, I think that everyone knows that," she giggled. "So does it hurt so much whenever she messes with you guys?"

"Because we were never close with her," explained Riley. "She aggravates us like crazy but never really made us feel like we were breaking. I guess... Maya and I still love each other more than anything. If someone asked me who my best friend was, I'd say Maya no matter what we've been going through together."

"Do you agree, Maya?"

Maya nodded, burying her face into her hands. "Yes," she bawled. "But it's too complicated. It's almost unhealthy for us to be friends if we're always on this emotional roller coaster. It's so stressful!"

"I'm sorry, I can't do this anymore," wept Riley, slowly backing away from the table. "I know that this was short but I'll be back tomorrow. I'm going home, Maya."

"Okay, Riley," sighed Delaney. "But please, don't tell _anyone_ but your parents about this argument. You don't want anyone, even your other friends involved. If they are, there will be side-taking and it'll just add to the drama, alright?"

Riley nodded, drying her eyes with her sleeve. "Alright," she sniffled. "Maya, is it okay if you wait here? I wanna go home and you can't be on the subway alone because of... You know."

"Ugh, fine," huffed Maya. Rick seemed to be taking everything away from her even when he wasn't close to her. Her freedom, her dignity and in a sense, even her relationship with Riley. If it weren't for him and his attack on Maya, this fight would have never broken out.

After Riley left the room, Maya and Delaney sat in silence for about five minutes straight. Not an awkward silence but more or an empty silence. Before she could really take it into notice, Maya even caught a glimpse of Miss Benson crying into her hands.

"Are- are you okay?" she asked softly. "I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry, Maya," croaked Delaney. "This is so hard to fix."

"You're doing a great job, Miss Benson!" Maya reassured her. "Believe it or not, in that short time, I think that Riley and I made some progress!"

Delaney inhaled deeply through her nose, trying to sedate herself. "Your story makes me so emotional, Maya," she answered frankly. "How are you so strong?"

"I learn to adjust with it, I guess," Maya answered uncomfortably. "It's hard, but I was taken in by really good people who love me, so they're helping me along the way. I'm just... Scared about what's to come it the future and..."

"Oh, sweetheart," cried Delaney, wrapping her arms around Maya. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," hushed Maya, slowly backing away from Delaney's embrace. "I'm... I'm gonna go to Cory's room and wait until his meeting with the principal's over."

"Alright," said Delaney. "And feel free to come and talk to me. I'm always here."

Maya forced a smile as she reached the doorway, turning to convince her therapist that she was fine at the moment. "Thank you, Miss Benson," she said before leaving the office, coming face to face with someone she dreaded to see.

Brett.

"Maya!" he gasped with a grin stretched across his face. "What's up?"

"Oh, nothing," replied Maya cooly, trying to find a way to remove herself from the situation. "I'm just going. Wait- what are you doing going to Miss Benson?"

Brett shrugged as his cheeks began to redden. As much as she hated to admit it, Maya felt as if it was still cute when this boy got nervous around her. Nonetheless, she couldn't forgive him. Not yet, at least.

"I just needed to talk to her, is that a problem?" said Brett. "What were you doing there?"

"I'll tell you if you tell me," bargained Maya, folding her arms.

Sighing, Brett rocked his heels and looked down, embarrassed for his explanation. "Well... I just, I..."

"What, are you so devastated about your breakup with Missy?"

"No," answered Brett quickly. "I'm, well... Okay, I'm devastated for betraying you. I'm humiliated for what I did and I want advice, alright? Why were you with her?"

Maya rolled her eyes, finding it pathetic that Brett was even trying to win over her affections. But some of it she found... Sweet. Charming. Attractive, even. But no, she couldn't let him know that. She had to be strong and besides, it was kind of fun for her to play hard to get.

"Maya?"

"Gotta go!" Maya rushed, suddenly remembering that Delaney had said not to discuss her situation with Riley around other people. She had faith that Delaney knew what she was doing so she couldn't ruin the chances of saving her friendship with Riley. And Brett _wouldn't_ be her shoulder to cry on.

She quickly scurried down the hallways and a flight of stairs to Cory's empty classroom since he was busy at a meeting in the teacher's lounge. She panted heavily, trying to catch her breath as she took her usual seat which would be in front of Lucas, diagonal to Farkle and next to Riley. As odd as it seemed, she enjoyed the loneliness. It was quiet and tranquil in contrary to what her life had been like ever since she was born. It was at peace.

"Why, Miss Hart, are you back in the detention routine?" said a familiar voice from the threshold, snapping Maya out of her thoughts.

She smiled at the sight of Lucas, happy to have someone so friendly and sympathetic around. "Hey, Ranger Roy," she teased.

"Wait I thought that it was Range Rick," Lucas corrected her, oblivious at first to why she had changed his nickname. "Oh, never mind."

"Yeah," said Maya awkwardly, standing up from sitting. "I wouldn't call you 'Rick' because... You know..."

"No, I understand," said Lucas consolingly. "I like Ranger Roy better anyway."

"Yep."

"So..."

"So, Cowboy," Maya said, changing the subject. "What keeps you here so late?"

Lucas shrugged, making his way into the classroom to sit beside Maya. "Well, we were supposed to have baseball tryouts but it started to rain, so they were canceled," he explained. "That idiot Brett was gonna tryout."

"Ew," Maya gagged exaggeratedly. "Do you know what? He's apparently going to therapy for advice on how to get me to forgive him!"

Lucas's jaw dropped, shocked that Brett would do that after being in a long relationship with Missy. What he was not surprised about, however, was that he would do it for a girl like Maya. She really was a special girl.

"He feels stupid," Lucas smiled. "You're too perfect for him. You're the one who got away, ma'am."

"If you call me ma'am one more time, I will break you!"

"If that's what makes you happy... Ma'am."

Lucas expected Maya to shudder in annoyance, but she did the exact opposite. As much as she didn't want to tell him about what was going on with Riley, she couldn't keep her deep and overemotional feelings from him anymore.

She threw her arms around his neck, hysterically sobbing into his muscular shoulder, comforted by the warmth of his returning embrace. She wasn't the slightest bit more emotionally stable but felt the love and care that she needed just by feeling her hair being stroked and her back being rubbed by her most reliable friend at the time.

"I need you, Cowboy," she sobbed as tears uncontrollably poured from her eyes and onto Lucas's shoulder. "Don't leave me here alone. I'm scared."

"It's okay," hushed Lucas as he willingly continued to console his distressed friend. "I have your back. I'll stay here with you."

And Maya suddenly felt safe.

**Ok, so there was chapter 22. So there's some Braya and some Laya in here. What will Riley think? Thank you guys so much for reading and I apologize for the late update. Until next time! **

**Xoxo, Kayla**


	23. Shawn's New Family

**AN: Hey everyone! Thanks so much for all of the nice reviews! I really appreciate it and you guys encourage me to keep writing this fic. So Shawn's making another appearance along with another BMW character who didn't show up yet. Anyway, here's chapter 23! Enjoy :)**

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own GMW. Shocker.**

One month had passed since the day when Cory had rescued Maya from the hellish living conditions while being kidnapped by the psychotic Rick Daniels but he still felt incredibly guilty; he knew that he hadn't made her life any better since that day. The poor girl still had to deal with the aftermath of her traumatizing experiences, the tension between herself and her best friend and in addition to that, she had to face the fear and anxiety of being hunted by her former captor. Maya even attempted suicide, so what would possibly make Cory think that she was happy?

It clearly wasn't healthy for her to be living with his family for two reasons; Riley wasn't making the situation any easier and Rick knew who his target was living with. He could easily detect where the Matthews' apartment was located and the entire family would be in grave danger. Although Cory and Topanga couldn't hand Maya off to a total stranger, they couldn't keep the girl safe in their own household. But they had another option. Maybe Maya could live with someone who they knew and loved for as long as they could remember.

"But, Topanga," argued Cory when his wife first made the suggestion that Maya could stay with the one and only Shawn Hunter. "She doesn't like him at all! He was the one who made her stop trusting me! This isn't good for her."

Topanga pursed her lips, resting her head on the crock of her husband's neck. "Oh, Cory," she sighed. "Shawn's been calling us practically everyday to see if we needed any help with Maya. And now we do!"

"Yea, but he doesn't even have kids," Cory pointed out, slouching against the couch. "He has no experience whatsoever so how can he possibly raise a girl who's currently recovering from being kidnapped and protect her from some crazy sicko trying to get her again?"

"C'mon, Core!" pleaded Topanga. "Shawn's been saying how he needs a commitment in his life and here's a perfect opportunity! And remember how Mr. Turner fostered him for a while as a kid? He wants to do the same thing for someone else because he knows how good it made him feel. He's doing it as a favor for you. This is not only to protect Maya, but to protect our family as well."

"No," snapped Cory, completely ignoring what his wife had said. "Don't use the word 'foster'. We're not fostering Maya; she's already a part of this family. That's like sending Riley or Auggie to live with Shawn. It's like you don't care about the girl at all. I thought that we loved her as our own kid but I guess that's not your case, is it?"

Topanga's eyebrows furrowed, fuming with her husband for accusing her for not loving Maya. She understood that Cory was upset about the situation but she wouldn't let him underestimate the concern and care she always had for Maya.

"I would send Riley or Auggie away if it would protect and help them," she snarled, her nostrils flaring. "And Maya needs help. Shawn's more than willing to assist us with protecting her, so why is that such a problem with you. I don't understand you sometimes. I'm sorry, Cory, but we both know that she isn't safe with us, no matter how much you say she is. Rick doesn't know who Shawn is and if they saw each other on the street, the guy wouldn't give a shit and wouldn't even remember Shawn's face the next day. But if he saw you and knew that Maya was living with us, he would kill you, Cory! None of us are safe except for Shawn! That's what Maya needs! To be in the hands of someone who could keep her safe!"

Taking a deep breath, Cory kissed the top of his wife's head. "Topi," he whispered. "She needs _you_. She needs a mother to help her get through this."

Smiling inwardly, Topanga looked up to her husband's careworn face. She was over the moon excited about what Shawn had said on the phone with her earlier but he stated that he wanted to be the one to tell Cory. By his oblivious facial expressions, she could tell that the two never got a chance to speak all day. "He didn't tell you, did he?" she asked.

"Didn't tell me what?" asked Cory curiously, raising an eyebrow. "Topanga?"

Topanga bit her lip as she drew her eyes away from Cory's face. "Nothing," she giggled, covering her mouth. "Forget I said anything."

"No," demanded Cory, jokingly cupping his wife's chin. "What did he tell you that he didn't tell me?"

"Cory, he said that he'll tell you on his own!" laughed Topanga as her husband began tickling her stomach. "C- Cory! Stop it!"

"No, not until you tell me!" declared Cory in a mock-menacing tone as Topanga squirmed and struggled to break free from him. He had always loved a good bargain and knew that Topanga always hated to be tickled. "Come on, Topi!"

"Alright, alright!" cried Topanga, wiping tears of humor away from her eyes as Cory moved his fingers from her stomach to her chin. "I'll tell you, I'll tell you!"

Cory smiled, lightly pecking Topanga's lips. "I knew you'd give in," he smirked. "So what did he say that was apparently so great?"

"Well..." started Topanga, feeling guilty for disobeying Shawn. "I don't know, maybe he should be the one to tell you..."

"Then I guess I'll have to tickle you again," threatened Cory playfully, wiggling his fingers in the air. "It's your choice."

"Okay, fine," groaned Topanga, wincing back and covering her face with her hands. "He was reunited with Angela and they're dating again. They've been together for three weeks and thought that it was better to wait before they told us, alright? Are you happy now?"

Cory's eyes widened and his jaw dropped at the sound of of that familiar name. Of course Topanga and Rachel had been keeping in touch with her but no one else had seen her in about fourteen years. "Angela?" he gasped out of misbelief. "Angela Moore? They're dating again?"

Topanga nodded, her eyes glistening with joy and excitement. "Isn't that amazing?" she beamed. "It'll be just like the old days!"

"Yeah, that's awesome!" grinned Cory, finding his wife's smile to be contagious. "That's great! But why didn't he tell me?"

"Oh, I dunno," replied Topanga sarcastically. "Maybe because you refused to call him after I told you that he promptly said that he wanted to help us with Maya. It's like you don't trust him or something."

Cory sighed, resting head on the arm of the sofa in deep thought. "It's not that I don't trust him," he said. "It's just..."

"Then what is it?" asked Topanga, folding her arms. "She'll still have a mother figure, no Riley to argue with, we love the people well enough so we'll still get to see her a lot and most importantly, Rick won't know where to find her!"

"But if Angela's with Shawn again, I think she would rather enjoy her time with him rather than worrying about a girl she just met," Cory inferred. "And what if they break up over this? That would be hard on everyone and it'll just be another burden for Maya."

"Well, Shawn said that he talked to Angela about it and she thinks that it's a great idea," said Topanga matter-of-factly, "and so do I. Cory, just think about Maya. When this all pans out, she can come back and live with us again. Trust me, babe. This is for the best."

Cory shut his eyes tightly, trying to reduce the undying stress that was put upon him. Topanga was right; this really was a good idea. Shawn was sincerely filled with remorse for making Maya feel uncomfortable in the past and wanted to make it up to her in the present so she could have a happy future. He wanted to help save Maya's life.

"Okay, I'll... Uh, I'll call Shawn now," he agreed reluctantly. "Maybe he and Angela could take Maya out for lunch tomorrow and talk everything over with her. Remember, it should be her decision."

Topanga wrapped her arms around Cory's neck, planting two kisses on his cheek. "Thank you, honey," she cooed. "I know that you're worried about Maya. I worry about her, too."

"Yep," answered Cory tiredly as his wife began massaging his shoulders. "But your motherly instincts can surpass my ideas to protect her any day. How are you so good at this?"

"Uh, hello?" Topanga chuckled inwardly. "You were the one who saved her life! Maya said that she was about to get killed before you went in and fought that guy off! You're the hero, Cory!"

"But you're her main shoulder to cry on," Cory pointed out. "You give her faith and hope in her darkest hours. Heck, if it weren't for you, she would have committed suicide and no one would have been there to stop her! You're amazing, Topanga!"

"I love you so much," said Topanga sincerely, holding her Cory's face in her hands. "_You're_ amazing. I'm so lucky to have found the perfect husband."

"I love you more," insisted Cory. "And I'm lucky to have found the perfect wife."

Topanga sighed heavily as she rested her head on Cory's shoulder. "I'm still worried," she admitted. "Are you?"

"More than you can imagine, sweetheart."

* * *

Maya tapped her feet uncomfortably against the floor as she sat in the booth across from Shawn and Angela at Lombardi's Pizzeria on Saturday afternoon, unsure of why they had taken her out for lunch. Before they left, Cory had said something about them wanting to have a serious talk with her but she wasn't sure what he had meant. All that she knew was that she wouldn't enjoy the conversation; so far, all 'serious talks' had left her in tears.

"So, Maya," said Shawn, breaking the long silence that had existed ever since he and Angela had picked her up from the Matthews' apartment. "Are you hungry?"

"I guess so," answered Maya softly, inhaling the savory aroma of the pizza that people were eating from other tables. "But why did you guys take me out for lunch?"

Shawn and Angela exchanged glances, sending each other the message that it was time to ask Maya if she would like to live with them. They understood that it was a very sensitive topic and that they couldn't be disappointed if Maya wouldn't be comfortable.

"Maya, you're a really special girl," started Angela, taking Maya's hands. "I know that I just met you but I instantly felt a connection between us. You're so important to the Matthews and the Matthews are so important to me."

"What are you saying?" asked Maya nervously, raising an eyebrow. "I've been with the Matthews' practically every day for almost ten years and I've never seen you in my life."

Shawn shrugged, wrapping his arm around his girlfriend's neck. "Yeah, but you've heard of her, right?"

"Yea, I have," answered Maya, folding her arms. "A lot of times, actually."

"Well, Topanga and I are best friends and talk on the phone everyday," said Angela. "And I know about... Your life."

Maya's face flushed with humiliation as she bit her lip as deep as her teeth could go. Hot tears were brimming in her eyes but could no longer bear to have anyone see her crying. She shut her eyes tightly and took a deep breath as she clenched her knuckled and dug her fingernails into her thumbs, trying to resist crying.

"Well, I'm sorry, but I don't want to talk about 'my life'," said Maya, trying to remain cool and collected. "That was the past. I need to worry about the future, okay?"

"Maya, we know that you need to worry about the future," said Shawn, careful with his word choice. "And we want to help you with that."

"What do you mean?"

Just as Shawn opened his mouth to ask Maya if she wanted to live with him, he was interrupted by the sound of the waitress's voice asking the three to place their order.

"Hi, I'm Chrissy and I'll be your waitress. Would you like to start off with your drinks?" a tall, blonde lady asked.

"Yes, we'll have three large cokes and we'll be ready to order our food, too. We'll have a large, found pie and I'd also like to have your number with that," said Shawn mischievously.

"Shawn," scowled Angela, smacking her boyfriend's arm. "We just got back together!"

Shawn rolled his eyes playfully as he shook Angela's shoulder gently. "Relax, Ang," he laughed. "Chrissy, I was kidding on that last one, kay?"

Chrissy raised her eyebrows and pursed her lips, nodding awkwardly. "Your cokes will be on the way," she said, scurrying away from the table.

"Okay, I got the pizza out of the way so there won't be any more distractions," said Shawn, stretching his arms back. "So, as I was saying, I... Well, we, uh..."

"Oh my god, can't you please just answer the question?" asked Maya exasperatedly. She simply couldn't stand Shawn. Angela was super sweet and nice but it was just super uncomfortable when she indirectly mentioned the kidnapping. She didn't even want to be there with them so couldn't she just here their explanation?

"Um, well, when Shawn was about your age, he had some family issues, too," said Angela. "His dad went after his mom, who ran away, right Shawnie?"

"That's right," said Shawn, his eyes showing seriousness and concern. "One of my teachers was generous enough to, you know, take me in. He was like my older brother. He was always looking out for me when my own dad wasn't."

"Wow," whispered Maya. "That's... That's really nice."

Angela smiled, once more taking Maya's hands. "We talked to Cory and Topanga about this and we wanted to do the same thing for you," she said warmly. "So, would you like to live with us?"

Maya's eyes widened, searching through Shawn and Angela's facial expressions for any traces of lies. But she could only sense honesty. Why would they ask her to live with them? It was completely out of the blue; she had just met Angela that day and only saw Shawn once, and that time didn't go too well. There was no reason for them to take her in. She needed the Matthews, not some crazy high school sweethearts who are trying to make things work again.

"What?" she gasped, shooting up from her seat. "Of course not! Why would you even... What?"

"Maya, we understand why you wouldn't like this arrangement but just think about it," said Shawn, trying to calm the girl down. "We know that Riley is making things difficult for you and that guy would know where to find you if you were staying with the Matthews. You're more protected with us."

"So?" shrieked Maya, grabbing the attention of the whole restaurant. "I'd rather die than live in fear and hiding! And Riley will redeem herself; I know that she will! I just know it!"

"But, sweetie, that'll take time," said Angela sedately. "In the meantime, you can stay with us! We're buying an apartment nearby! Really, you'll only be sleeping under a different roof. We can go to the Matthews any time you want!"

Maya shrugged, wiping away a tear that dripped from her eye. "Well, I'm sorry, but I don't want to live with you guys. Maybe I would, but you're not even married! If you break up it'll be so much harder on me!"

Shawn bit his lip and his face blushed, placing his hand in his back pocket. It was time to ask Angela the question that he wanted to ask her since college.

"So if we were married," he began, "you would want to live with us?"

"I might," Maya nodded, at first oblivious to why Shawn asked that question. But then it struck her. "Wait, so you're gonna pro-"

"Maya, go to the bathroom or something for a minute," Shawn interrupted her quickly.

"But-"

"Now," demanded Shawn sternly, looking Maya deep in the eye. Realizing that of he wanted Maya to live with him then he should go easy on her, he added a soft, "please?"

For the first time all day, Maya smiled. She knew that Shawn had... A _special_ question for Angela. As much as she hated to admit it, this really was a beautiful moment. These two people who didn't even know her were sacrificing everything to keep her safe. Maybe she would stay with them.

After Maya had given the two some privacy and went to the bathroom, Angela's heart took flight. She had a wonderful feeling that Shawn would- no, that would be too crazy. They have only been together for a mere four weeks. There was no way.

"Uh, Shawn..." she said nervously. "What was that all about?"

Shawn smiled, taking Angela's hands. "I wanted to wait until after dinner for this, but since Maya brought it up, I can't be that patient much longer. I love you, Angela."

"Oh boy."

"It's been fourteen years since I've seen you last and it's been the longest fourteen years of my life. I never wanna experience that pain without you again. Fate brought us together again and I know that if one thing makes sense to me right now, it's you."

Tears were now streaming down Angela's face as Shawn handed her a small gift bag. Inside it was another small bag, containing another small bad and so forth. The last bag held a tiny box, and Angela knew what was inside of it.

"Oh my gosh, Shawn," she wept, wiping away her tears. "I-"

Her heart dropped when she read the crumpled up note inside the box that crushed all of her hopes. It read:

'_I can't lose you again. I won't be able to deal with that pain. Let's end this before it gets that far. I'm really sorry, Angela, but you can't be my girlfriend anymore.'_

More tears rushed from Angela's eyes, but this time they were out of anger rather than joy. "What's wrong with you?" she cried. "Quit toying with my emotions! You idiot, you-"

She was cut off when Shawn pressed his lips against hers, shutting her up with a slow and romantic kiss before dropping to one knee and pulling out a diamond ring from his back pocket.

"Don't be my girlfriend," he said, tears now forming in his own eyes. "Be my wife. I love you, Angela Moore... Will you marry me?"

"Oh, Shawn," choked Angela, clapping her hand over her mouth. "Oh my gosh, I..."

Shawn stood up and grabbed Angela's hands, highly anticipating her answer. "Yes or no?" he asked impatiently.

Angela had finally collected herself and wiped the tears away, looking right into Shawn's passionate and loving eyes. At once, she knew that he was the one who she would spend the rest of her life with.

"Yes," she answered as the tears proceeded to roll down her cheeks. "Yes, Shawn, I'll marry you."

Their lips met and Shawn now knew that he would be starting his new family with Angela and Maya. And for the first time in his life, he felt content.

**Ok, so this chapter may have seemed a little off topic but towards the ending it is very important. Thanks for reading and please leave a review :)**


	24. The Final Phone Call

**AN: Hey guys! Thank you for all of your support on my story- it means a lot to me. I love you all so much! USTREAM TOMORROW AT 5:00 EAST COAST. Kayla_Maeve is my username so prepare questions! Ill let u guys know if I cancel.**

**I know that last chapter was kinda off topic and more Angela/Shawn centric, but in the end it becomes more important. Besides, I think that most of u enjoyed seeing them get back together :)**

**Btw... Enough with the Rick accounts. Its getting really old.**

**Disclaimer: Seriously, get help if u actually think that I own GMW.**

**Sorry for the awfully long authors note and here's chapter 24! Enjoy**

_"See this?" scowled Rick, holding his whimpering victim at gunpoint. He could easily see that Maya was very shaken up but that was just an addition to his ongoing pleasure. His mission was simply to make this girl's life worse than hell and he was just embarking on his journey._

_"No, please, no!" begged Maya, hesitating on every breath she took. Every ounce of her strength and resilience had been conquered by fear and anxiety that knocked her down. Any single move that she would make could determine whether she would live or die._

_Rick chuckled inwardly, taking the gun off of Maya's forehead and pointed it to the window. He pulled the trigger and a loud shot rang out, startling the girl before him. That shot was meant for her. Her heart was thumping rapidly in her chest and she couldn't breathe; why was this happening? One minute she was heading back to the Matthews apartment and then she was in the trunk of Rick's car with her hands and feet tied behind her back._

_"Well, we won't be needing this," Rick stated, forcefully chucking the gun out of the window. "Guns make dying quick and painless. You won't die until I decide that it's the right time, and when it is, you're gonna suffer. Big time."_

_Maya gulped heavily, involuntarily letting a tear stream down her cheek. "W-what are you gonna do to me?" she whispered meekly, losing the strength to even speak. Although it's only been two days, she missed Riley will all her heart. She needed her best friend present with her to help her get through this. What would Riley even think when she discovered that Maya was kidnapped? She shuddered at the thought of it; Riley was too innocent. She didn't deserve all of the drama that was in Maya's life._

_"Oh, sweetheart, you don't wanna know what I'm gonna do with you," sniggered Rick, crawling his fingers up Maya's shirt. "But if you're a good girl and cooperate with me, then you won't see Satan just yet. You're mom was telling me about the monster you really are."_

_"You're the monster here and your the one going to hell, not me ," muttered Maya, but to her disadvantage, Rick heard her and pinned her up against the wall through anger and frustration._

_"What did you say, bitch?" he growled between gritted teeth, his eyes revealing violence and fury. Just the look of his beastly face frightened Maya so deeply; she couldn't resist squeezing her eyes shut._

_"Nothing," cried Maya, hot tears pouring down her face before she was kicked in the stomach. As Rick released her from his grasp, the helpless girl's knees buckled and she collapsed to the floor, crying into her hands. "Please, just let me go!" pleaded Maya._

_"Phh, yeah right," scoffed Rick, pulling out a knife from his pocket. He strongly yanked Maya to her feet by her hair and slowly brushed the blade against her throat. Maya yelped in pain as blood trickled down her neck, staining her clothing._

_Rick gingerly moved the knife from his victim's neck down to her arm, engraving a long scar onto her wrist. The sight of all of the blood that she lost made Maya want to faint, but she knew better than to fight Rick off. She still had a slither of hope that someone would find her and she'd want to be living to see that day arrive._

_"W-where did you take-t-take me?" sputtered Maya, finally building up the courage to speak._

_Rick shrugged, pushing the broken girl down to the floor. "Some place no one would ever find you," he answered gruffly. "Does that answer your question?"_

_Before Maya could open her mouth, she felt a vibration coming from her pocket. Her phone. It was right there the whole time! She could easily just answer the phone and get help!_

_But before she could even reach for her pocket, Rick violently ripped the phone right away from her. "Hey," pouted Maya. "Give it back!"_

_"Let's see who's calling you," said Rick, ignoring Maya's last comment. "Ooh, who's 'Riley Matthews?'"_

_"Riley!" shrieked Maya, helping herself up to her feet. "Give me my phone! Riley!"_

_Rick laughed, pushing her into a chair and tying Maya to it. "No!" cried Maya, struggling to escape. "Riley! Let me talk to her, please! Please, Riley! No!"_

_After slapping a piece of duct tape over Maya's mouth, Rick raised his eyebrows and decided to answer the phone._

_"Hello, Riley Matthews."_

"Maya?"

Maya was snapped out of her trance after Cory had repeated her name about five times, trying to get her attention. She blinked her eyes towards her teacher and immediately sat up straight, overcome with humiliation for being so out of it.

"Um, yea?" she asked, tucking a strand of loose hair behind her ear as her face blushed. She felt all eyes on her and was swept over by embarrassment for being so lost in her vivid memories.

"Are you okay?" asked Cory with a concerned look in his eyes. "Do you need to get a drink of water or anything?"

"No," lied Maya, trying to redeem herself from all of the fear from the painful flashback she had just witnessed. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" repeated Cory. "You seem a little-"

"No, I'm okay," Maya interrupted him, avoiding eye contact with her history teacher. "I'm just a little tired, that's all."

"But Maya, you seem a little shaken up," Lucas pointed out, tapping on Maya's shoulder. "Are you positive that everything is okay?"

Maya rolled her eyes, turning around to be face to face Lucas. "Listen, Bucky McBoingBoing," she teased. "I'm fine, okay? F-I-N-E. Get it straight."

"Sorry, ma'am," smirked Lucas, tipping an imaginary hat. "S-O-R-R-Y."

Smiling, Maya turned back around in her seat to notice that Riley's was fuming. Her face was red and she was clenching her fists, appearing to be controlling her frustration. Maya sighed, realizing that Riley was most likely angry because she was playing around with Lucas. It wasn't like she was flirting with him or anything; she was just doing friendly things with her friend. Riley just had to quit jumping to conclusions all the time.

"Psst, Riley," she whispered as Cory proceeded with his lesson on World War II, trying to get her friend's attention. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"C'mon, tell me."

"I'd rather not say," answered Riley, using every ounce of willpower not to completely go off on Maya. "No matter what I say, I'm always the 'bad guy'. Besides, you wouldn't care about me. It's always all about you."

Maya groaned, unwilling to pick up where the argument left off. "Riley, I would care..." she sighed, wanting to reconcile with her friend but couldn't find the energy. "You know what, whatever. Never mind."

"Oh my, are Riley and Maya having a fight?" gasped Missy sarcastically, pressing her hand over her circled mouth. "What an outrage!"

Riley scrunched her face, trying to make Missy back off. "Shut. Up," she demanded, her eyebrows furrowing. "I have enough to deal with. So does Maya."

"Tck, yea right," laughed Missy. "You guys are pretty oblivious if you think that her mom's boyfriend wanting to spend time with her is so awful. You-"

"Missy," snapped Cory, pointing his finger at Missy. "Zip it."

Missy huffed, slumping back into her seat. "Fine," she muttered under her breath, shooting Riley a dirty look. But her death glare towards Riley's soon turned into a smirk at Maya. If only they knew what she was up to.

"So, like in many wars, there were spies involved in World War II," said Cory, roaming around his classroom. "Now, tell me. By a show of hands, have any of you ever spied on someone before? A sibling, a friend, a cousin? Have you ever done this to help somebody hurt or embarrass someone else?"

Every single hand went up, some of them shot up while others raised very hesitantly. However, there was one person who didn't raise her hand at all; Missy.

"Missy, you never-"

"You don't know a thing," snarled Missy, seeming to be very overwhelmed. "Don't single me out! I'm not doing anything wrong! Stop accusing me of things I didn't-"

"Whoa, whoa," interrupted Cory, trying to calm Missy down. His eyes widened, shocked by what came out of his student's mouth. Why was Missy being so defensive? Every other student in the class raised their hands while hers remained by her sides. Why wouldn't he single her out? "Alright, Missy. Calm down."

Missy bit her lip as every other student turned in their desks to look at her, some of them fighting back laughs. Missy Bradford _never_ made a fool out of herself in front of her peers. Never. It never happened before, which made it even more hilarious for the rest of the class.

"Okay, class, that's enough," announced Cory, suspiciously glancing over to Missy through the corner of his eye. "Pass up your homework."

Maya's heart dropped into her stomach as she buried her face into her desk. "Ugh," she groaned, remembering that she had forgotten to do her homework while at Shawn and Angela's apartment to see if she'd enjoy living with them. The truth was that she really did have a great time, good enough to reduce her stress by an exorbitant amount. But of course, doing her homework didn't even come across her mind. But then again, who could blame her? It was the best night that she had for a long time.

"Maya, did you do your homework?" asked Cory sadly, already knowing the answer. "It's okay if-"

"I forgot," muttered Maya, too ashamed to reveal her face. "Of course I did."

"Maya, it's okay," replied Cory simply. "There's nothing to worry about."

"Yes there is," argued Maya, now shooting up from sitting. "I'm a failure, Cory! That's all I ever was and it's all that I'll ever be! I'm so helpless and meaningless! I'm letting this man control my entire life! It isn't fair! And it's all my fault! I'll never be good enough for anyone. I wasn't good enough for my mom, Rick thinks that I'm stupid and wants me dead and I'm failing in school! What's the point of my life anyway? I can't even get an A!"

Just as Cory opened his mouth to speak, another voice beat him to it. He would've tried to reassure Maya that it was alright and that he would talk it over with her later but Missy just had to make matters worse.

"Oh, Maya, that's not true," she smirked. "I've heard that you got tons of A's, right?"

Maya's eyes widened and her face began to burn with fury. "You're not supposed to know about that!" she yelled, turning around to face Missy, who was choking back laughs. "Wha- why- how?!"

Missy shrugged, casually leaning back into her seat. "Everyone knows, honey," she said cooly, although she was really having a panic attack deep down inside. She couldn't spill her secret; she would be arrested at age 13. Not to mention that her life was being threatened everyday that if she didn't help her uncle, she would get killed. She would rather have Maya suffer.

"No, Riley told you!" shrieked Maya, turning to Riley. "I know she did!"

Riley's jaw dropped, standing to her feet. "No I didn't!" she defended. "What makes you think that?"

"You already told her my phone number," growled Maya between gritted teeth. "What would make me think that you didn't tell her? Who else would tell her that, huh?"

"I don't know, but don't accuse me of something that I didn't do! C'mon, Maya, you gotta believe me!"

There was a long silence between the two girls, both staring each other down with death glares while other students murmured phrases such as "what does that mean?" and "why is she so upset?"

Meanwhile, Missy decided to text her uncle **"now's the right time."**

Maya felta vibration coming from her pocket and groaned; she knew who it was before even checking. After reluctantly looking at her phone, her heart nearly skipped a beat after seeing that the caller was once more anonymous. Rick was calling her again.

"Maya, don't answer that phone," said Cory sternly, pointing his finger at Maya. "Don't you dare."

Gulping, Maya shook her head and mouthed "no." How could she just ignore this? It would just piss the guy off even more and she did _not_ want to provoke him into coming after her. She needed to know what his game plan was in order to stay safe. She couldn't let the phone ring on.

"H-hello?" she said meekly as Cory, who was clearly aggravated, slammed his briefcase down onto his desk. He directly told her not to answer the phone, but half of that secretly made him a little happy. The old, rebellious Maya was slowly crawling back.

"Put Matthews on the phone," snapped Rick. "You'll be seeing me soon, Hart."

Tears formed in Maya's eyes as she shakily handed her cell phone off to Cory. He took a deep breath before taking Maya's hand and pulling her out of the classroom since he didn't want the rest of the class to listen to his rant.

"You listen, Daniels, and you listen good," he scowled. "If you ever lay a finger on Maya again then I swear, I will-"

"Oh, Matthews, I don't need any spoilers," scoffed Rick. "I can wait until the real showdown takes place. And it'll be soon. This is my final phone call."

"Well, you can't reach her at my place because we have another plan to keep her safe and away from you!" spat Cory. "Don't underestimate the way I'm protecting Maya."

"And I'm sure that Shawn Hunter will do a fine job."

Cory's eyes bulged with anger and his heart practically stopped. "How do you know all of this?!" he yelled insanely. "Stop stalking my family!"

"Well, let's just say that I was at Lombardi's last week, too," said Rick chillingly. "Maybe I just happened to be sitting in the booth behind Maya and let me tell you, I'm gonna hunt that Hunter down."

"You better not you sick psychopath..."

Rick cackled on the other end of the line, bringing both horror and annoyance to Cory and Maya. "So long, Cory," Rick said sinisterly. "And remember, the time is ticking. I assure you that Maya won't live to see the summer, okay?"

Before Cory could jump on him again, Rick ended the phone call, leaving his two targets in shock and fear. He was coming back and they both knew it. No matter how hard they tried to keep him away, he would find away to get Maya again.

"You failed me," Maya whispered, her bottom lip quivering.

"What?" asked Cory, confused. "Maya, I'm trying my best to-"

"You failed me!" spat Maya, her icy eyes turning violent. "You're supposed to protect me! You're supposed to make sure he never gets me again!"

"He won't!" argued Cory, placing his hands on Maya's shoulders. "You have to trust me!"

Maya shrugged, backing away from him. "I don't," she answered simply. "And you know what? I HATE YOUR DAUGHTER SO MUCH, OKAY? I HATE EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE!"

She stormed back into the classroom and marched up to Riley, her face fuming with stress and frustration. She was becoming was taking everything away from her; her virginity, her childhood and her sanity. And Maya could no longer bottle up her feelings for Riley.

"YOU!" she shouted. "YOU ARE A STUPID BITCH, OKAY? YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE MY BEST FRIEND! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO TELL ME THAT EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY! BUT YOU AREN'T. IF YOU WERE REALLY MY BEST FRIEND, YOU WOULDN'T NEED THERAPY TO LEARN TO LOVE ME. I HATE YOU, OKAY? I HATE YOU!"

"Maya, calm down," said Cory, chasing after Maya and trying to calm her down.

"NO!" shrieked Maya, throwing her textbook across the room. "IT ISNT FAIR! I HATE EVERYONE! I HATE RICK, RILEY, MISSY, MY MOM, EVERYONE! I HATE YOU, CORY! I HATE BRETT, I HATE LUCAS, I HATE FARKLE, I HATE MYSELF! LOOK WHAT'S HAPPENING TO ME! IM OUT OF MY MIND!"

She ripped Lucas's homework off of his desk and tore it into shreds, climbing onto Cory's desk like a maniac. She was obviously losing her mind and her patience- who could blame her? Her entire world was crashing down before her very eyes.

After seeing Maya ignore everyone's constant pleads for her to stop, Brett grabbed her shoulders and shook the girl before him roughly, trying to set her straight.

"Listen to me," he demanded. "It's gonna be okay. You have to control yourself. We won't let you get hurt. I won't let you get hurt."

Maya stared him down deep into the eye, letting Brett's words sink in. She noticed how he said 'I'. _He_ wanted to protect her. _He_ wanted her to be safe.

As Brett's eyes went from tough and stern to soft and sympathetic, so did Maya's. All of a sudden, she began hysterically crying into his shoulder. She would never forget what he did to her but at a time like this, she needed his comfort. He would die to win over her love and Maya needed to be shown love. She needed him.

"I'm sorry," she wept. "But... I won't live to see the summer."

**Sorry for the crappy chapter... I know it sucked. I kinda rushed through it and I'm sorry for any grammatical errors. Anyway, thanks for reading and be sure to watch the ustream tomorrow!**


	25. Author's Note

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

Hi everyone, sorry to whoever thought was a new chapter. I never wanted to do this because I understand how annoying these could be but I didn't want any of you to think that I'm giving up on this story. I'm really sorry but I do life outside of writing this fanfiction and I do have to school like many of you do. Please try to understand because you probably know how excruciating schoolwork can get and writing a Girl Meets World story should be the least of my concerns. I am currently working on the new chapter and hope to get it up soon! Once again, I apologize if I'm disappointing you and I'll try to update sooner than I have been lately.

-Kayla


	26. Lucas's Lies

**AN: okay... I'm terrible. That took me a long time to update and this is gonna be a crappy chapter anyway. So I'm fast forwarding into a few weeks, the day before Shawn and Angela's wedding and it's also the day of the school dance. Let's see what happens...**

"There," proclaimed Maya to herself as she smoothened her freshly straightened hair with her hands. She glanced in the mirror and a grin bloomed on her face, pleased with her appearance. It was going to be her first time attending a school dance ever since... Well, ever since her disappearance. She wanted to look perfect and finally just enjoy herself no matter what was happening in her life.

Placing her flat iron down and unplugging it, she changed out of her graphic-tee and shorts and into her brand-new coral sundress with white flowers on it. Maybe it was outside of her fashion taste but she still looked cute in it. For the end of the year dance, Maya wanted to look and feel beautiful. She wanted to have a great time.

But Riley... What was Riley going to do? Would she still go to the dance? Was she angry with Maya? What she angry with Lucas? Maya was told that Riley knew that she and Lucas were going to the dance together as a couple but she still could've been upset. She didn't even say anything to Maya about it. Lucas told Maya not to bring the subject of the school dance up to Riley but Riley didn't bring it up either. This worried Maya.

Maya smiled inwardly after hearing her ringtone go off, informing her that she'd received a text from Lucas. Sighing heavily, she hopped onto her bed playfully and checked what the message read.

**Cant wait 4 tonight :)**

Maya chuckled inwardly, typing her response.

**Me neither, but don't push ur luck, cowboy. We're going as friends, remember?**

It wasn't long after she pressed 'send' when her phone vibrated once more.

**If that's what makes u happy, ma'am. Cya later.**

Maya had to forcefully dig her teeth into her bottom lip to prevent herself from squealing and screaming. No, she wasn't in love with Lucas, but she was in love with their friendship. She couldn't ask for a better friend... Maybe Riley when she wasn't so nasty.

She slowly moved over to her vanity table to begin applying her makeup; she still needed LOTS of it. Her scars and bruises had not yet healed and no matter how much makeup she could cake on her face, she couldn't deny that was kidnapped and tortured. She couldn't hide the pain.

After applying the foundation, Maya stared long and hard at her reflection on the mirror. She wanted to look pretty more than anything else in the world. And if she wanted her wish to come true, she couldn't apply her own makeup. Sure, maybe she was a great artist but she wasn't the perfect makeup artist. Rachel, Morgan and Angela were in town and Topanga was always there.

But Rachel. Morgan. Jack, Eric, Josh, Alan, Amy, Feeny and even Turner was in the city; in fact, they were all in the Matthews apartment. You could smell the excitement in the air. Shawn and Angela's wedding was only a day away.

Maya took a quick break from her makeover to open her closet and gaze at her beautiful, red bridesmaid dress. She was partially confused why she was selected to be a bridesmaid; after all, she had only known Angela for a month. But she was going to be a part of the family- it would be wrong for her not to be one.

The dress was simply flawless. It was strapless and a silky, shiny red which was very compact on her torso but was flowing and had ruffles below her waste. It dropped down to the floor and Maya didn't even feel worthy to own a dress so beautiful. It was even fancier than a princess's attire.

But her life certainly wasn't a fairytale and she certainly wasn't a princess. Princesses have a mother and father and live in breathtaking palaces and are swimming in their wealth. Maya's father didn't know she existed, her mom was abusive and was in jail, she lived in a New York City apartment with a girl who absolutely loathed her and money was a word that made Maya squirm. Wealthy was basically the opposite of the last name "Hart".

The door slowly creaked open to reveal the faces of Angela, Topanga and Rachel. Maya smiled warmly, approaching the three women who entered her room.

"Hey, Maya," said Rachel sweetly. "Wow, you look stunning!"

Maya chuckled inwardly. "Stunning?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow in disbelief. "Yea, right."

"Oh, stop being so insecure," said Angela, taking a seat beside Maya. "You're gonna have a great time!"

"Maya," asked Topanga, gently stroking Maya's hair. "Why isn't Riley going to the party tonight? For some reason she's avoiding talking to me... I wish she'd tell me why. Do you know?"

Shrugging, Maya slumped back into her seat gloomily. So Riley wasn't going to the dance. Great. All Maya needed was Riley's love... It wasn't fair. Why did she have to go through her first school event after she was missing without her best friend?

"I don't even know..." she muttered sluggishly. "Is it because I'm going with Lucas?"

Topanga raised an eyebrow, an expression of deep thought rousing on her face. "Maybe..." she wondered aloud. "But maybe, maybe it's a good thing she isn't going. She's mad but she's not gonna let it get the best of her. She doesn't wanna hurt you and she's just gonna remove herself from the situation until she's mature enough to realize that you are the last person in the world she should be angry with, okay?"

"I guess," said Maya in a voice so low it was barely a whisper. She really hoped Topanga was right; then again, when was Topanga ever wrong?

"But, honey," Rachel piped in. "Please, don't worry about Riley tonight. Have a great time with your other friends, okay?"

Maya pursed her lips into a forced smile, hiding the pain inside. "Okay," she let out. "Um, some girls, Julia, Fiona, Jenna, Summer, Julienne, Shyla, Britt, Seneca and Connie... They asked me if I wanted to go to Starbucks with them after the dance. Is- is it okay if I go?"

"Be home by 10," reminded an overly happy Shawn, who was standing at the threshold between Maya's room and the hallway.

"Wow, Shawn, very protective," Angela pointed out. "Let the kid have some fun tonight!"

Shawn shrugged, approaching the ladies and embracing Angela and Maya. His future was in his very arms, his future that he would be given in exactly 24 hours. Sure, he would be given a lot of responsibilities but it was worth it to have a beautiful wife and be immediately granted with a teenage daughter. So what if he was being protective?

"For your information, Ang, tomorrow I'm gonna be both a husband and a father tomorrow," he said, "and I just don't want Maya to be too tired for it because she was at Starbucks."

Maya rolled her eyes, brushing Shawn out of her way. "Whatever," she groaned in a mock-anger tone. "Well... I'm gonna finish getting ready, I guess."

"Okay, well, you want me to tell Cory that he can't chaperone?" joked Topanga, giving Maya some privacy. "I know that would make you sooooo disappointed."

"Hahaha, no," smirked Maya. "I'd honestly rather he didn't. I don't always need to be protected."

"Well, that's not-" started Shawn before being cut off by Angela.

"Shawn," she coughed, trying to save Maya's emotions. She had built a very strong relationship with the girl over the course of their acquaintance and she knew Maya well enough to understand that she was very, very sensitive.

Shawn swallowed hard, thankful that his fiancé had caught his mistake. He wordlessly strode out of the room alongside Rachel and Topanga, leaving Angela alone with Maya.

"So..." said Maya awkwardly, unsure of why Angela had decided to stay with her. "Um... You must be excited for tomorrow, aren't you?"

Angela smiled, stroking Maya's blond hair. "Yea, I am," she said as her face began to blush. "I love Shawn so much and... I just can't believe I'm gonna be a bride! And tonight, we're gonna kiss, knowing it'll be our last kiss before-"

"I didn't ask you to get all mushy."

Cocking an eyebrow, Angela pulled Maya into a motherly embrace, engulfing her in undying love. "Oh, honey," she cooed. "You don't know how happy I am that you're gonna live with us. It'll be like you're my own daughter!"

"And you'll be like my mom," added Maya. "Well, better than my mom was..."

"I know."

"Yea..."

"So," said Angela while clasping her hands together, trying to change the subject. "Um, want me to help you with your makeup?"

Maya shrugged. "Sure, I guess so."

Angela said it would only take two minutes to finish applying the makeup; of course, she meant half an hour. She was a makeup perfectionist- she would start all over if she messed up. She went into very fine detail around the eyes but still made it look sweet and natural. Maya was surprised that Angela didn't go to beauty school; she was even better than Morgan.

"I really hope I can recognize my face by the time you're done," warned Maya as Angela continued to cake the bronzer onto her cheeks. "This is 'The Sun Has Begun' dance, not prom."

Angela bit her lip, turning Maya around in her seat to face the mirror. Maya gasped, leaning closer into her reflection. She was absolutely stunning. Not drastically beautiful but she looked the sweet and innocent kind of pretty. She looked like a virgin.

"Wow," Maya let slip, glancing up towards Angela. "Thanks."

"Anytime, babe," smiled Angela. "I'll leave you alone for a minute, then we gotta get you to that dance so you can slow dance with that cowboy, huh?"

Maya only giggled lightly as Angela left the room only to have another person enter. Groaning, Maya swore under her breath before tucking a strand of hair behind her ear and standing up to face her visitor.

"Hey, Maya," said Riley softly, looking very uncomfortable. Maya was wearing a flattering sundress while she was wearing her pajamas. "You look, um... You look really pretty."

"Uh, thanks?" said Maya, truly astonished. It was very unlike Riley to compliment her; unlike the NEW Riley. The mean Riley.

"Who are you going with?" asked Riley, taking a seat besides Maya on the bed.

"Well, I'm gonna hang out with Julia, Summer, Con-"

"Oh yeah," grimaced Riley, feeling as if a pit was forming in her stomach. Why was she getting jealous that Maya would be hanging out with other girls? They weren't best friends anymore; they weren't even friends anymore.

"Yep," muttered Maya.

"So," said Riley, clapping her hands together. "Brett's so lucky to have such a gorgeous date! I'm honestly so happy you're giving him another chance."

"Wait..." whispered Maya, dumbfounded. She curiously looked Riley in the eyes but found no trace of sarcasm. Lucas told her that Riley knew that the two of them were going as a date. She wasn't going with Brett.

Should she tell Riley? Her palms clammed up and she gulped heavily, unsure of what her next move should be. She didn't want to hurt Riley anymore.

"Riley..." She started. "I'm not going with Brett."

"That's what Lucas told me."

_Damn_, thought Maya._ Why would Lucas do this to me? Why to Riley? This isn't like him at all._

"Did he tell you that... Well, that I'm going with him? As a date?"

Riley's jaw dropped and her eyes widened although her expression showed only hurt, not anger. So Lucas lied to her and Maya went behind her back. She didn't wanna hurt Maya back though, she just wanted to cry, yell at her friend and even hug her. Tables were turning and maybe she didn't do anything wrong this time. Maybe their friendship just wasn't meant to be.

"Lucas told me he was going to visit his friends in Texas over the weekend..."

**Uh oh...**


End file.
